Sheriff’s Office Hosts Carjacking Safety Booth at Chicago Auto Show

Sheriff’s Office Hosts Carjacking Safety Booth at Chicago Auto Show
Advertisement
Anew Banner Advertisement

Loading

Sheriff’s Office Hosts Carjacking Safety Booth at Chicago Auto Show (Cook County, IL) – The Cook County Sheriff’s Office will host a booth at the Chicago Auto Show to provide safety information about carjackings and increase awareness of tracking technology that can help recover stolen cars and prosecute offenders.

Carjackings in Cook County, including Chicago, increased 38 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. Other metropolitan areas around the country have also reported an increase in this crime.

Terrifying and Dangerous Crime

“This is a terrifying and dangerous crime that enables additional crimes to be carried out with the stolen vehicle,” said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. “We need to work with the public, inform them of how to protect themselves and how important tracking information can be in these cases. We cannot give up trying to reduce this crime.”

The public outreach is just the latest effort by Sheriff Dart to raise awareness about this issue and work toward long-term solutions. Sheriff’s Police are active members of a regional carjacking taskforce, and the Office has worked over the last year to gather and share data and intelligence among police agencies to help increase vehicle recovery and prosecutions.

The Office has also identified a key mechanism to address carjackings: quick and easy access to tracking information. Sheriff Dart engaged automakers in December and encouraged them to work with the Office to improve quick access to tracking information if a vehicle is stolen. Discussions are ongoing.

Advertisement
John Heiderschedit, Criminal Defense Attorney; Subscription Lawyer; Chicago Lawyer

Tracking Carjacked Vehicles

Currently, each automaker has their own unique process to obtain tracking information and too often it is difficult for police or victims to navigate. It can sometimes take days or weeks to get the information, making it harder to catch the perpetrators and prevent the vehicle from being used in new crimes. The Office is asking for a single 24/7 hotline staffed by trained experts to legally access tracking information.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Dart developed a consent-to-track form that owners can submit to the Sheriff’s Office to grant access to vehicle tracking information in the event it’s illegally taken. Having the completed form on hand will make it easier for law enforcement to access tracking information from manufactures quickly.

The consent form is available on the Sheriff’s Office website:

Sheriff’s Office Hosts Carjacking Safety Booth at Chicago Auto Show

Advertisement

Related Articles

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *