Brooklyn Park police recently went “out of the box” to try to find a way to help those who have been victims of car theft–particularly owners of heavily-targeted models of Kias and Hyundais.
Those two automakers recently unveiled software updates to certain models after reports they were some of the most-stolen cars in America.
Sgt. Elliott Faust with Brooklyn Park police said the department recently has seen hundreds of car thefts reported.
“It was clear to us just traditional enforcement was not having the impact we wanted, so we thought ‘What could do here?’” said Sgt. Faust on Tuesda. “What could we do differently that was unconventional to try to help our citizenry out?”
Officers reached out to Hyundai and Kia last fall to see if the companies offered any anti-theft devices, and it turns out they do. The department received 100 steering wheel locks, and offered them up to victims of theft who owned one of the two makes of cars.
The rest went out on social media within days last weekend.
“We put the facebook post out on Friday, and by Monday morning, (the coordinator’s) voicemail box was full,” said Faust.
He said the steering wheel lock is the most basic way to keep cars safe from theft, and officers are glad they reached out. Now other departments in other cities want to know what they can do to get the devices out to residents.
