• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Featured
    • Senators seek answers from law enforcement about the capitol riot
      North Alabama police giving rides to work in snow storm
      North Carolina bill aims to discourage cities and counties from...
      L.A. DA will not seek death penalty for cop killer
      Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Lawrence Female Officer Makes History
        North Alabama police giving rides to work in snow storm
        Demand “the why”
        New study suggests diversity can improve law enforcement
        Paging Dr. Oz: N.J. police receive backup from a celebrity doctor
    • Labor
      • Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
        NYPD disciplinary records made public
        Raising the bar
        Retirements up, recruiting down
        Maryland considers repealing officers’ bill of rights
    • Tech
      • Technology gives police an edge in chases
        Data-driven investigations
        Police technology: Why so far behind?
        Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
        Denver police gun detection technology pays off
    • Training
      • New PT standard for future officers draws objections
        LPVO: The Goldilocks of AR optics
        Chicago PD introduces real-life situation training
        Reset in recoil: Working with your gun, not against it
        K-9 lifesaver
    • Policy
      • North Carolina bill aims to discourage cities and counties from...
        Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
        Colorado lawmakers propose bill to reduce police’s role in protests
        Capitol Police Officers Lack Confidence in Leaders Following Unrest
        Police warn new NJ law decriminalizes underage drug and alcohol use
    • Health/Wellness
      • Alabama law enforcement hesitant to get COVID 19 vaccines
        Capitol riot suicides shine light on police mental health struggles
        So much for those New Year’s resolutions, eh?
        Save jobs and lives
        Everyday work trauma and your brain
    • Community
      • Senators seek answers from law enforcement about the capitol riot
        L.A. DA will not seek death penalty for cop killer
        Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
        LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
        When parents are arrested, what about the kids?
    • Humor
      • Cheeto dust leads to bust
        The force is strong with this one
        Dude, where’s my car?
        Dressed to impress
        How to retire angry
    • We Remember
      • Louisiana cemetery removes its whites-only policy after refusing to...
        Slain Capitol Police officer honored
        A thread of courage and love
        COVID-19 “very likely” to kill more cops than 9/11
        Always honored, never forgotten
  • On the Job
    • Lawrence Female Officer Makes History
      North Alabama police giving rides to work in snow storm
      Demand “the why”
      New study suggests diversity can improve law enforcement
      Paging Dr. Oz: N.J. police receive backup from a celebrity doctor
  • Labor
    • Union says “many” U.S. Capitol Police officers want to leave the...
      NYPD disciplinary records made public
      Raising the bar
      Retirements up, recruiting down
      Maryland considers repealing officers’ bill of rights
  • Tech
    • Technology gives police an edge in chases
      Data-driven investigations
      Police technology: Why so far behind?
      Charlotte-Mecklenburg police use key technology to battle crime wave
      Denver police gun detection technology pays off
  • Training
    • New PT standard for future officers draws objections
      LPVO: The Goldilocks of AR optics
      Chicago PD introduces real-life situation training
      Reset in recoil: Working with your gun, not against it
      K-9 lifesaver
  • Policy
    • North Carolina bill aims to discourage cities and counties from...
      Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
      Colorado lawmakers propose bill to reduce police’s role in protests
      Capitol Police Officers Lack Confidence in Leaders Following Unrest
      Police warn new NJ law decriminalizes underage drug and alcohol use
  • Health/Wellness
    • Alabama law enforcement hesitant to get COVID 19 vaccines
      Capitol riot suicides shine light on police mental health struggles
      So much for those New Year’s resolutions, eh?
      Save jobs and lives
      Everyday work trauma and your brain
  • Community
    • Senators seek answers from law enforcement about the capitol riot
      L.A. DA will not seek death penalty for cop killer
      Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
      LA school board cuts police funding to support racial equity
      When parents are arrested, what about the kids?
  • Humor
    • Cheeto dust leads to bust
      The force is strong with this one
      Dude, where’s my car?
      Dressed to impress
      How to retire angry
  • We Remember
    • Louisiana cemetery removes its whites-only policy after refusing to...
      Slain Capitol Police officer honored
      A thread of courage and love
      COVID-19 “very likely” to kill more cops than 9/11
      Always honored, never forgotten
  • Jobs and Careers
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Featured

Record carjackings across the country

From coast to coast, police departments see drastic jumps in carjackings

Published February 16, 2021 @ 9:00 am PST

iStock.com/andriano_cz

Earlier this month, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California announced the arrest of 10 suspects for a series of carjackings after a multi-month investigation. On the same day, the Chicago Police Department publicized the arrest of five people in connection with a string of carjackings also dating back months. These are just two examples of a disturbing trend tracked by police departments all over the country.

CPD logged more than 1,400 reports of carjackings in 2020, which, per NBC Chicago, is more than double the previous year’s total. Also, if the attacks continue at the current pace, 150-plus in January, officials expect the annual total to reach 1,800.

“There’s at least five carjackings every day,” said U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) in a virtual townhall meeting, reported the local CBS affiliate.

The City of Brotherly Love also registered a jump in carjackings last year and into this year. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, it handled 404 cases in 2020, more than each 2019 and 2018, and already received reports of 59 instances in January. The Maryland/Washington D.C. region has experienced greater carjackings, too — a 143% increase in Washington D.C. per police data, reported WTOP.

Another troubling scenario is that many police departments suspect teenagers committing these crimes.

“We’re seeing younger suspects, some suspects not even of a driving age, and we’re seeing a lot more violence,” Maryland’s Montgomery County Police Sergeant Rebecca Innocenti told WTOP. “And when these suspects are being arrested, they are being found to be in possession of loaded handguns.”

“It is very, very difficult for victims of carjackings to identify people right now due to everybody’s wearing a mask due to COVID,” noted Eric Carter, a CPD first deputy superintendent, who participated in the townhall meeting.

Indeed, authorities believe the pandemic, including closed schools and lack of afterschool programs, have contributed to the uptick.

“Carjackings are a crime of opportunity. We can speculate and say it’s because of the pandemic, high unemployment, social unrest; however, many people experience hard times that are not turning to violence,” countered Officer Tanya Little, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.

To stall the carjacking trend, several agencies have formed regional task forces that are working with federal law enforcement and U.S. Attorney’s Offices to share information and resources.

Categories: Featured, On the Job, Community

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Lawrence Female Officer Makes History
  • Senators seek answers from law enforcement about the capitol riot
  • North Alabama police giving rides to work in snow storm
  • North Carolina bill aims to discourage cities and counties from defunding police
  • L.A. DA will not seek death penalty for cop killer
  • Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms
  • Alabama law enforcement hesitant to get COVID 19 vaccines
  • Demand “the why”
  • New study suggests diversity can improve law enforcement
  • Colorado lawmakers propose bill to reduce police’s role in protests
Advertise with APB

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Featured
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Humor
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers

Editor’s Picks

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

Ass-kissing, favoritism, oh my!

January 28, 2021

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

This K-9 is a gym rat at heart!

January 25, 2021

A thread of courage and love

A thread of courage and love

January 20, 2021

The job doesn’t love you back

The job doesn’t love you back

December 28, 2020

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2021 American Police Beat, Inc. | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.