Auto thefts are up again this year, and Illinois is helping to lead the way
Vehicle thefts are on the rise again this year, and nowhere is that more true than right here in Illinois, according to a new report from an insurance industry group.
The report, published by the Des Plaines-based National Insurance Crime Bureau, says nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen in the first six months of 2023, about a 2% increase over the first half of 2022.
Illinois saw a 38% spike, from 16,116 thefts in the first half of 2022 to 20,820 from January through June this year. That follows a 35% increase - from 28,559 to 38,699 - between the full years 2021 and 2022.
In the Chicago region, vehicle thefts jumped 41% between 2021 and 2022, from 23,476 to 33,089, according to NICB data.
In sheer numbers, Illinois ranked fifth in the country in the first half of 2023, trailing California, Texas, Florida and Washington.
David J. Glawe, the NICB's president and CEO, attributed much of the increase to the pandemic and dwindling police resources.
"Because these are property crimes, they do not get the proper attention or are put on the back burner in favor of more 'serious' crimes," Glawe told us in an email interview this week. "Criminals understand this and are taking advantage of it."
He noted that sophisticated criminal networks - some spanning the region, country or even multiple countries - are behind some of the thefts, and they can be difficult for any single police department to track.
What can you do to keep your ride where it belongs?
"NICB recommends common-sense actions, like always locking your vehicle," Glawe wrote. "Anti-theft devices can be installed that disable the fuel system or cut off the ignition. Visible deterrents such as steering wheel locks or brake pedal locks can provide another layer of protection because they are plainly visible."
Pickups set the pace
The days of Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords being the apple of every car thief's eye are over. Today's criminals are thinking big.
Pickup trucks accounted for 25% of all automobile thefts last year, with full-size Chevys and Fords topping the NICB's list of the 10 most-stolen vehicles. Nearly 100,000 of the American-made pickups were stolen last year, the group reports.
Foreign-made sedans claimed the next six spots: Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Optima and the Toyota Camry. Rounding out the top 10 were the GMC full-size pickup and the Honda CR-V SUV.
Some good news
While vehicle theft rates have soared since the start of the pandemic, recovery rates also are on the rise, Glawe told us.
"More than 85% of passenger vehicles reported stolen in 2022 were subsequently recovered by law enforcement or other means, with 34% percent recovered within a day," he wrote.
The state fights back
Despite the surge of thefts in Illinois, state officials say they're working hard to combat car theft rings.
Earlier this year, the office of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias awarded more than $21 million in grants to six law enforcement groups that target vehicle theft and carjackings. They include the Expressway Safety Enforcement Group ($10.3 million); the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force ($3.4 million); the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force ($1.8 million); and Chicago Major Auto Theft Investigations ($1.4 million).
"People doing something so routine as getting in their car and driving shouldn't have to fear that they'll be robbed of their vehicle at gunpoint," Giannoulias said at the time.
Funding for the grants comes mostly from a $1 annual assessment on automobile insurance policies.
And this week, Illinois State Police officials highlighted their efforts to prevent thefts and carjackings, saying its troopers made 24 theft arrests and three carjacking arrests between July and September, and recovered nearly 300 stolen vehicles.
A gutsy effort
The things with which Customs and Border Protection agents at O'Hare International Airport have to deal.
Particularly the agriculture specialists, who look for fruits, vegetables, meats, plants and other items that shouldn't be carried from one ecological community to another, lest they threaten existing species.
Oct. 10 was a memorable one. That's when agents found two passengers arriving in from the Democratic Republic of Congo with 15 pounds of raw goat viscera in their luggage - including the trachea, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and the digestive system.
While we understand cultures worldwide commonly eat offal, and everyone appreciates a taste of home, those items can contain livestock diseases and plant pests foreign to the U.S.
"There are real dangers these items can have if they are introduced in the U.S. economy," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at the CBP's Chicago office.
The agents destroyed the goat parts, as well as two pounds of eggs and one pound of an unknown meat.
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