One city took on rising car thefts – and brought the numbers down

That's a good program for joyriders. In Canada, there's a major problem with high end cars and trucks being stolen by professional rings that ship them out in containers. In the UK, Land Rovers have become uninsurable and the manufacturer had to become the insurer.

Can you imagine thinking that this is the best way to prevent theft? There are two worlds; one where you can leave your home unlocked without concern, and one where people instruct you to not even leave your car unlocked while it is warming up.

Car theft is through the roof in New Orleans. They call themselves the Kia Boyz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbTrLyqL_nw

> The police department has focused on teaching residents about things that could make them a target. On a recent day last month, St. Paul police officer Keng Her patrolled the city's east side on a special shift focused entirely on auto theft.

> "When it's cold, like right now," Her says, "people tend to leave their cars on so that it's warm when they get inside. And you never know who's watching that might potentially target you."

> Part of his job is to tell people not to do that, speaking with car owners to explain the risk of leaving cars unattended and handing out informational flyers to apartment managers.

[…]

> "It's a very small percentage of our community that's stealing the majority of these cars," Henry says, noting that this demands a more nuanced approach to policing.

> "We're having a conversation with them, saying, 'Do you understand that this act that you thought was super low-level and somewhat harmless is a felony and caused a monstrous disruption for the people in the community?'" Henry says. "What we're saying is, 'You were in the car. What's going on with you? Why is this fun?'"

...Or, instead of inconveniencing honest, law-abiding citizens, we could ensure that the small percentage of criminals is unable to re-offend? Enforcing the law worked in El Salvador, it can work here too