Violent Crime Summit seeks solutions to public safety problems
SHOREVIEW, Minn. -- Law enforcement, prosecutors and state leaders are in Shoreview Tuesday for the Violent Crime Summit.
The goal: finding solutions to improve public safety. The event is being hosted by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
More than 100 people are at the all day event, with panels on gangs in Minnesota, criminal justice, robberies and carjackings.
This comes just two days after drivers of a stolen car struck another vehicle in St. Paul, killing a 70-year-old woman.
The stolen car, St. Paul police said, was a Kia Sportage. The department said it's seeing an increase in Kias and Hyundais being stolen.
So far this year, St. Paul police have investigated 212 Hyundai thefts and 256 Kia thefts. That's a significant increase compared to last year: 31 Hyundais and 18 Kias in all of 2021.
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office says that's because these cars are easier to steal.
"The Kias and Hyundais have what I would call a design flaw that allows them to be stolen easier," Undersheriff Mike Martin siad. "All they have to do is break a window and get in and within seconds those cars can be compromised and started with a USB port or even a pocket knife and that makes them a lot more vulnerable to being stolen."
WCCO reached out to both automakers for comment.
Martin said there is more coordination across law enforcement agencies since individuals committing crimes while driving stolen cars makes them more mobile.
