Montgomery County police launch special unit for car thefts

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — So far this year more than 1,000 cars have been stolen in Montgomery County compared to about 500 this time last year.

Because of this spike in thefts, county police are reactivating a special unit.

Two years ago, budget concerns shut it down. But now, thieves are stealing so many cars in Montgomery County, the Auto Crime Enforcement Section is back at MCPD.

"This is often seen just as a property crime," said Assistant Chief Nicholas Augustine. "But when you look at it from a larger picture, you look how the theft of a vehicle affects someone's daily life, getting to work, taking children to daycare."

The costs of a stolen car add up, says Augustine, both in dollars and danger to the community.

"What we see is several times these vehicles that are being stolen are being used in violent crimes, either in Montgomery County or in the region. So that's a significant concern," he said. 

The unit's sergeant and five officers in the auto theft section will coordinate suspect information and crime trends across the department and with other jurisdictions.

They'll also investigate bogus titles and stolen parts.

But, police say they still need the public's help, too.

"If something's not fitting right. If someone's walking up to a bunch of cars in the community and looking in windows or going on the handle, give us a call. Report that information to us," the assistant chief said. 

Police say a lot of the thefts are part of the ongoing trend of thieves hitting certain Hyundai and Kia models because they can be easy to hotwire. They say owners of those cars still need to take extra steps to secure their cars.

"The biggest thing is the prevention of it to make to reduce the risk of you being victimized," said Augustine. "You're less likely to be a target if it takes more force for the suspect to use to steal your vehicle."

Which, he says, can be a simple as making sure your doors are locked.

Or, if you have something like an Apple Air Tag you can throw in your car police will be able to track it down quicker if it is stolen - they just emphasize to call them with the tracking info and don't go looking for it yourself.