Motor vehicle thefts in Dallas outpacing 2021 numbers

DALLAS, Texas — As the top of 2022 attracts nearer, motor vehicle thefts in Dallas are outpacing numbers from round this time final yr.

Per information collected by the City of Dallas, there have been 9,813 motor vehicle thefts recorded main as much as Nov. 4th, 2021. In 2022? That quantity is at the moment sitting at 11,203. 

That’s roughly a 14% enhance. And in response to the Dallas Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, pickup vans are the new ticket merchandise. 

Granbury resident Bob Locke stated he had no concept when he got here to Dallas this week on enterprise. 

His 2021 Chevrolet Silverado was stolen after he parked and locked it at a pleasant resort close to SMU. 

“All four doors were shut, and the vehicle was locked,” Locke stated. “I checked.” 

Locke made his means into the resort to get some sleep, and when he received to his room, he hit the lock button on his key fob once more for good measure since he missed the car parking zone. 

“My truck would not honk at me when I went to lock it,” Locke stated. Locke did not suppose something of it, so he went to mattress, however when he received as much as get his laptop computer out of his truck, it wasn’t there anymore. 

“My truck was gone, and I looked down on the ground, and there was this little black box sitting in the space,” Locke stated. 

The thieves had ripped out the transmitter in Locke’s truck that works his alarm and keyless entry for the truck. 

That means, when the thieves tried to get in, no commotion or notifications could be made to Locke. 

Somehow, they opened the door, began the truck, and took off. 

Locke misplaced a laptop computer, two baby automotive seats, and a few sentimental objects. 

“It’s a gut punch,” Locke stated. “There’s a lot of worse things happening out there, but it’s a gut punch.” 

In February, WFAA toured DPD’s impound lot for recovered stolen automobiles, which was stuffed with pickup vans. 

At the time, the division instructed Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Rebecca Lopez the truck being stolen essentially the most was the Chevy GM pickup from 2016 to 2018. 

Trucks are a sizzling commodity because of their worth, and chip shortages for brand new automotive computer systems being a problem nonetheless. Trucks are additionally getting used illegally for human trafficking alongside the border. 

Per the Texas Department of Public Safety, GM and Ford vans have been the highest two stolen automobiles statewide for September, and Dodge vans got here in fourth behind the GM Tahoe. 

Experts imagine Chevrolets are focused most as a result of they’re the best to get into. Thieves are studying to hack into OnStar to disable monitoring and begin the vehicle. 

Locke suspects that may be how his truck was taken since there was no proof of compelled entry. 

“It seems like everybody knows somebody now that’s had a vehicle stolen recently in the Dallas area,” Locke stated. 

A neighborhood dealership instructed WFAA {that a} steering wheel lock is the best and least expensive approach to shield your truck. It’s not a really fairly aesthetic, nevertheless it’s time-consuming to take away, and thieves typically haven’t got the luxurious of time. 

Locke stated he plans on getting one for his subsequent vehicle. 

“Any other additional things you can do to prevent it from getting stolen…yeah, I recommend doing that now,” Locke stated. 

A photograph of Locke’s truck is under. The license plate is PZT-2203 and it has mud flaps with “Idaho” written on them.