Car Theft Crimes on the Rise Since COVID-19 Lock-downs
By Jonathan Blecher on April 23, 2020
Sheltering in place/Quarantine/Lock-down means your car could be sitting in your driveway, carport or parking garage. It also means that your car is vulnerable to car thieves. And while the crime rates in major cities are way down, auto theft is on the rise.
In New York, for example, statistics show that reports of car thefts jumped by over 50% in the last month. Reports of other crimes, including robbery and sexual assault dropped. In Seattle, police said they filed 300 auto theft reports in the last month, a 24% jump from the same time last year. The LAPD reported that car theft rose while many other reported crimes dropped.
“With the stay home order, people aren’t driving their cars and don’t realize they’ve been stolen,” Seattle Police auto theft unit Lt. Tom Yoon said in a statement.
A felony offense like auto theft is very serious. In addition to lengthy prison sentences and expensive fines, a felony conviction can result in a permanent criminal record which makes it extremely tough to get a job, find housing, apply for college, or take advantage of life’s opportunities in general.
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