It was not "since then," as in when the law changed 5 years ago. In fact: "CPD knows carjacking is a recurring scourge. The number of vehicular hijackings surged several years ago. In response, police established a task force of local, state and federal law enforcement, which was credited with reducing incidents to a six-year low. Then task force members went off to deal with other crimes."
The increases have been just this year, and not limited to Chicago:
The increases have been just this year, and not limited to Chicago:
"...Chicago is neither the only nor the worst example of this disturbing crime trend. Minneapolis police report that carjackings there have shot up 537% this year. Carjacking calls to 911 in New Orleans are up 126%. Oakland police cite an increase of 38%. And while many police departments do not keep carjacking-specific numbers, instead classifying them as auto theft or armed robbery, crime experts like Chris Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, say anecdotal reports of a carjacking surge are coming in from metropolitan areas around the country including Milwaukee, Louisville, Nashville and Kansas City. Data for auto theft is easier to come by and, according to Herrmann, the numbers show that crime is also spiking in many cities this year, including a rise of 68% in New York, 36% in Los Angeles and 34% in Philadelphia. But carjackings draw attention as the violent, potentially fatal version of auto theft."
Trying to pin all that on the change of a law in Chicago 5 years ago doesn't make sense.
The explanation is really pretty simple: it's getting pretty hard for a petty criminal to hotwire a newer model car. That's it. Stolen car parts are big business, the pandemic has cut into the supply chain for replacement parts, and it's hard to steal a newer model car without a key if you don't have a tow truck.
Typical (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:4, Informative)
The increases have been just this year, and not limited to Chicago:
"...Chicago is neither the only nor the worst
Re:Typical (Score:3)
The increases have been just this year, and not limited to Chicago:
"...Chicago is neither the only nor the worst example of this disturbing crime trend. Minneapolis police report that carjackings there have shot up 537% this year. Carjacking calls to 911 in New Orleans are up 126%. Oakland police cite an increase of 38%. And while many police departments do not keep carjacking-specific numbers, instead classifying them as auto theft or armed robbery, crime experts like Chris Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, say anecdotal reports of a carjacking surge are coming in from metropolitan areas around the country including Milwaukee, Louisville, Nashville and Kansas City. Data for auto theft is easier to come by and, according to Herrmann, the numbers show that crime is also spiking in many cities this year, including a rise of 68% in New York, 36% in Los Angeles and 34% in Philadelphia. But carjackings draw attention as the violent, potentially fatal version of auto theft."
Trying to pin all that on the change of a law in Chicago 5 years ago doesn't make sense.
The explanation is really pretty simple: it's getting pretty hard for a petty criminal to hotwire a newer model car. That's it. Stolen car parts are big business, the pandemic has cut into the supply chain for replacement parts, and it's hard to steal a newer model car without a key if you don't have a tow truck.