Car Theft

[RANT]
Have you been following news lately? The big thing is about car thefts at town meetings they are shouting and yelling the thefts by juveniles and demanding tougher laws! This outrage is being lead by the Republicans… FEAR!

The news had safety tips about going to your car and of course the warnings were directed at women. Yes, you should be aware of your surroundings but let me ask you when was the last time you heard that happen, a random kidnapping and robbery here in Connecticut? I can’t remember, can you?

Let’s look at some crime data instead of emotional rhetoric.

1. Connecticut was 33 in car thefts in 2019 (which is the latest data available)!
2. Connecticut’s violent crimes have been decreasing faster than the national average!
3. Connecticut was 46 in violent crimes!
4. The number of car thefts with keys or FOBs in them have been increasing.
5. Nation wide car thefts are up, not just in Connecticut.

What do the news media have to say about the rise in crime?

Connecticut has a teen car theft problem, but it is not related to state juvenile justice reforms, new analysis finds
Hartford Courant
By Zach Murdock
March 26, 2021


A new data analysis of car thefts across Connecticut has concluded there is very little evidence state juvenile justice reforms over the past decade contributed to the scourge of stolen vehicles that have led some law enforcement leaders and lawmakers to argue the state is too soft on young offenders.

Police officials have noted a spike in motor vehicle thefts since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year and frequently blame roving groups of serial teenage thieves, who many law enforcement leaders argue cycle through the juvenile justice system repeatedly with few consequences.

Advocates have decried that conclusion and now the new analysis from the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central Connecticut State University confirms the recent increase in car thefts is not correlated to reform laws designed to keep teens from incarceration.

The rate of car thefts in Connecticut did increase in 2020, the preliminary data show, but it is still about 3% lower than in 2018 and closely reflects a nationwide trend during the COVID-19 pandemic, IMRP project manager Ken Barone said this week.

But the Republicans are stirring up their making “CRIME” the number one issue in Connecticut labeling Democrats soft on crime.

The main focus of the Republicans is the age that a teenager could not be tried as an adult,

But the data show that increase mirrored the nationwide trend, not correlated with the reform laws in Connecticut, and that the share of teens arrested for motor vehicle theft has steadily dropped over the past 30 years, Barone said.

“The data tell us there is no evidence to support any claim that raise the age laws have caused an increase in motor vehicle thefts here in Connecticut,” he said. “We have lots of evidence to support that fact and very little evidence to support a claim that changes to the juvenile justice laws are causing an increase.”

You watch, the Republicans will make crime an issue in the 2022 elections. Here is what another Connecticut media had to say,

As car thefts rise in CT, police remind residents to stop leaving key fobs inside their vehicles
WTNH
By: Rich Coppola
November 5, 2020


Between 1998 and 2017, officials report Connecticut saw car thefts decline by 43%.

“We were dealing with broken ignitions and filed down keys, and you actually needed more of an insight in regards to how to steal cars,” said Lieutenant Paul Cicero, who was an auto theft detective from 2005 until 2010. “Those were the thieves we were seeing.”

Back then, he said, they were mostly adults.

“And now it’s juveniles engaged in reckless driving behavior and other criminal acts.”

Those criminal acts include shootings, evading motor vehicle accidents, street racing and people losing their lives because of people operating stolen cars.
[…]
Hartford police said in one weekend in late August, 82 cars were reported stolen in Connecticut.

Why the uptick? Of those 82 cars stolen between Aug. 28 and Aug. 30, 62 of them had the key fob left inside.

“We’re seeing this increase because of careless owners,” Cicero said. “That’s what the big number is. Careless owners leaving their key fobs in their cars. It doesn’t take a seasoned car thief to open a door, push a button and drive away.”

When you listen to the Republicans legislators they want to rollback the age that teenager can be tried as an adult, mandatory jail time, and increasing the severity of the car theft.

Not once did you hear from them say to… “Lock it and pocket the key.”
[/RANT]

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Research:

• Car Theft Statistics Auto Owners Must Know in 2020
• Dangerous states: Which states have the highest rates of violent crime and most murders?
• Motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States in 2019, by state
• Thefts of Vehicles with Keys Left Inside Continue to Rise
• Car Thefts Increased Significantly in 2020
• National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Just: Impact Report: COVID-19 and Crime
• Pew Research Center: What the data says (and doesn’t say) about crime in the United States
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: Crime Data Explorer