Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban declared war on grand larceny autos on Sept. 6 in Astoria, Queens.
Photo by Dean Moses
Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Eric Adams declared war Wednesday on auto theft across New York City — vowing to turn around the rising grand larceny auto theft rate throughout the five boroughs.
Although Hizzoner championed a steady decrease in major crimes over the course of the year, he admitted that auto thefts have been a constant thorn in the side when it comes to crime statistics. According to police data released Sept. 6, the targeted vehicles are primarily Kia and Hyundai cars, with thefts reaching almost 2,000 this year compared to the whole of 2022 which only saw 300 of the stolen models, a 587% increase.
“Grand larceny autos is really putting a blemish on our success,” Adams said. “We are going to take the wheel of this crisis and drive it and put it on the right path.”
Adams and Caban revealed the deployment of police vehicles with new technology across the five boroughs designed to combat auto theft. Each police precinct will now employ a dedicated patrol car outfitted with two mobile license plate readers that will be on patrol 24/7 while also serving as a liaison to detective squads.
Although these squad cars will patrol citywide, they will also concentrate efforts on known problem locations such as the Bronx and northern Queens, while also scanning active hotspot areas and recovery locations within their command to identify potential stolen vehicles and reduce response times by patrol cars when responding to calls for stolen vehicles.
For Caban, combating auto theft is not just about protecting New Yorkers from having their rides stolen; it’s also an effort to keep more serious crime at bay.
“Those who steal cars often commit other types of serious crimes, everything from robbery to shootings happen with stolen cars,” Caban said. “Stolen cars have become broken windows on…
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