Throughout the past two years, car thefts have skyrocketed across the United States thanks to a TikTok and internet trend that showed the ease of stealing Kias and Hyundais. But one city seems to have righted the ship, seeing carjackings drop drastically.
While Chicago saw an average of 80 cars stolen every day last year, a different story is being told in the nearby city of St. Paul.
The Minnesota capitol saw a spike in carjackings just like any other, but thanks to a focus on prevention and youth intervention, the surge in thefts has since fallen drastically.
Behind the surge in nationwide thefts was a TikTok video that exposed an issue in certain Kia and Hyundai cars that made them easier to steal.
Since then, several recalls and lawsuits have been issued to protect car owners, though the trends have persisted nationwide.
In fact, a study from the Council on Criminal Justice found that last year, auto thefts rose nearly 30% and have more than doubled since 2019. The survey examined 34 major metropolitan areas.
However, in St. Paul, the spike in car thefts has since peaked, no longer rising at the same pace as other cities across the country, state data shows.
The CCJ report highlighted just how much of a rebound St. Paul has made, with auto thefts falling nearly 40% from 2022 to 2023, the largest decline of any city examined.
Ernesto Lopez, a research specialist at CCJ, spoke with NPR about the auto thefts, sharing that the decline might be a case of what goes up must come down.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Cart can’t share exactly what’s caused it, but he does think their prevention efforts are key.
“The truth is, there’s not really a way that you can take credit for that because that person doesn’t wake up and see their car in their driveway and go, ‘Good job, Saint Paul Police Department,’” Carter told NPR.
The St. Paul Police Department and Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office have emphasized prevention, focusing on proactive police tactics and setting up auto theft units that have helped increase arrests of car thieves.
According to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, clearance rates in Ramsey County rose from 9% in 2021 to around 14% in 2023. The clearance rate is the measurement of whether a crime led to an arrest or other resolution.
Other efforts included giving young people more positive outlets, like free youth sports and after-school programs. Carter says the approach isn’t anything new but instead a tested method to address public safety.
“I have children, and when it comes to keeping them safe, my first question is: How do I get the gates up above the stairway? How do I get the plastic plugs in the outlets?” Carter says. “When we love someone, that’s how we approach public safety. This is about extrapolating that same approach to a whole city.”
While St. Paul is succeeding, other cities continue to struggle. In Honolulu, the police department has issued a warning to residents as the trend continues to surge.
In Washington, D.C., a report from Insurify found that residents pay 37% more than the national average for auto insurance.