CLEVELAND — The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said it’s starting to feel some relief regarding county-wide car thefts after the “Kia Boys” wreaked havoc for years.
Car thefts are still happening though, but just not as frequently.
The declining trend in car thefts throughout Cuyahoga County is also echoing throughout Cleveland.
The City of Cleveland echoed those trends, seeing an over 20% decline in car thefts halfway into the year.
Kenay Shamar Garcia DeJesus considers herself lucky.
She said she’s dodged becoming a part of county-wide car theft statistics three times now.
DeJesus wanted to be blurred for this interview because she didn't feel comfortable showing her face.
“I started seeing it in March of this year and I have footage of them trying to get into all my cars,” said DeJesus. “It’s not the first time they’ve come.”
Supervisor of the Ground Strategies Unit at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Ryan Bokoch, said it’s starting to feel relief from the Kia Boys trend that swept across the nation in 2022.
RELATED: Kia, Hyundai thefts surge amidst social media trend; Free steering wheel locks offered
In late 2022, Kias and Hyundais made up 60% of all auto thefts in Cuyahoga County.
After the second quarter of this year, the prosecutor's office said car thefts county-wide have greatly declined.
From January until June of this year, there have only been 909 car thefts in Cuyahoga County, compared to thousands in years past.
“Law enforcement has done a great job putting these cases together and using the tools they have available to them and, we've seen a significant decline in those Kia and Hyundai thefts,” said Bokoch.
While Kia and Hyundai have tried helping with the nationwide issue by installing free software updates and distributing car locks, Bokoch said it took real problem-solving locally.
“For law enforcement, when you know, all of a sudden, the crime type doubles, they don't double the number of police officers that are that they have in their departments,” said Bokoch. “So, you got to shift resources around.”
DeJesus said her neighbor's car was stolen last weekend, but she believes her home surveillance is what’s saved her time and time again.
“This is where I started parking over there, so it’s just straight view,” said DeJesus. “So, they will have to be straight in camera. I have cameras right there, but there is only so much you can see.”
Perpetrators, if convicted, can face six-18 months behind bars for motor vehicle thefts. However, Bokoch said it's the repeat offenders they want to continue to keep behind bars to keep this issue on a steady decline.
