Detroit police wants more license plate readers to combat rise in car thefts
(CBS DETROIT) - There have been around 500 more cars stolen in the City of Detroit compared to this same time last year, according to Detroit police.
It's a 30% increase in car thefts reported in the city, a sign the troubling trend is getting worse.
"Those are all victims that have been impacted," said Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes. "This trend goes beyond the borders of the state of Michigan, all across the country."
Hayes said there are a number of factors driving the rise in car thefts, one of them being viral TikTok videos showing people how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
"It can go viral relatively easy and that's unfortunately what we're seeing now with social media," he said.
DPD investigators have been using license plate readers since 2018 and currently have about 80, but the issue continues to be a problem.
It's why they're now asking the city for about $5 million to purchase more of the devices.
Police said they're currently strategically placed in parts of the city where car thefts are most prevalent. If the license plate readers are approved, the expansion will allow them to be placed in all council districts.
Hayes explained how DPD's uses the technology, as he reiterated the technology will not be used to invade someone's privacy.
"If a vehicle that's entered and reported that's stolen drives past one of these cameras, it will gives us an alert that this vehicle description if its in the stolen report profile will alert our members right here in the real time crime center that that vehicle is in the area. If you car is not stolen, it will not trigger this technology," he said.
Police said having more resources at their disposal will help them better fight crime.
"With this effort, we believe that we can combat [car thefts] and drive this down," Hayes said.
The request for license plate readers is a part of the $368 million budget proposal for police.
Detroit City Council is expected to vote on the request in April.