Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Violent crime dropped 6% in 2023 in the City of Buffalo, but the year will be remembered for a record number of car thefts.
"Property crimes went up 21%, and that is driven directly by stolen cars,"
said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joe Gramaglia on WBEN on Wednesday.
"Stolen cars went up 104%. There were about 2,8000 stolen cars last year. Prior to the trend of stealing Kia and Hyundai models, we were typically at around one thousand stolen cars a year," he noted.
This crime largely involves juveniles. Gramaglia said the legal system is not capable, at this point, of addressing juveniles and repeat offenders and kids today don't care about the consequences.
But he said police are still making arrests.
"We had an issue [Tuesday] night with a carjacking. Juveniles stole a car at gunpoint. Our officers wound up making an arrest and they made an arrest on another stolen car. Six juveniles were taken in custody last night. Our officers are out there being as careful as they can to not endanger the public."
Gramaglia said he does not see the stolen car issue lightening up in 2024.
"The lack of engine immobilizers in Kias and Hyundais is the main reason," Gramaglia added. "I don't know why they're not addressing the problem on a wider scale, but these cars are still being stolen at an alarming pace."
The issue started with how-to social media videos, showing people stealing a car with a USB cable, exploiting a glitch. It has evolved into a means to create chaos.
"You've got these younger folks going out there, sometimes having competitions. Who can steal more cars in a night? When you're getting 400 cars stolen in a month, these kids are not at home. Where are the parents?," he asked. "You've got kids out there that parents can't control. If parents are listening to this, reach out to clergy, reach out to these violence interrupter groups (such as Peacemakers) to get your kid on the right track."
Homicides in Buffalo were down 45% in Buffalo in 2023, according to new statistics from the Buffalo Police Department. There were 39 homicides in 2023. 71 homicides in 2022.
166 people were shot last year, compared to 247 people the year before.