CLEVELAND — Cleveland Police are sounding the alarm about a troubling trend. Thieves are using technology to steal vehicles.
“I didn’t even know this was something possible to do,” said Don-Neil McKenzie.
We’ve reported about Kia and Hyundai vehicles being stolen but now police said thieves have a new target.
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“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Taylor McKenzie. “First the Kia thing; now Jeep.”
Cleveland Police took to social media to warn drivers. They said thieves are going high tech to steal Jeep Cherokees and Grand Cherokees.
“The method to steal these Jeeps without getting too much into it does involve some more advanced equipment,” said Ryan Bokoch, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Crime Strategies Unit supervisor.
Cleveland Police said the thieves are using scanner tools to gain access to the electronic system, then re-programming a blank key fob to match the vehicle’s information. According to police, it takes less than 90 seconds.
“We’ve seen search warrants where police find blank key fobs in someone’s house as well as some of the equipment, added Bokoch.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Crime Strategies Unit focuses on violent crime. But, often, Bokoch said stolen vehicles are used in violent crimes.
“Our focus is always on violent crime, so when we started seeing time and time again these drive by shooting reports and other uses of a firearm reports involving these Jeep vehicles starting to see time and again it’s these stolen Jeeps, you start to notice that pattern pretty quickly,” said Bokoch.
Police said in Cuyahoga County, since November, at least 62 Jeep Grand Cherokees or Jeep Cherokees were stolen. Officials believe thieves possibly used this technology in 20 of those thefts.
