“It’s a solution to help solve the problem, but it doesn’t stop the theft,” said Dayton police Major Jason Hall, commander of the department’s patrol operations division.
Dayton police have received 774 reports of auto theft and attempted auto theft this year, which is up 36% from the same period a year ago, police data show.
Most of the increase is due to thieves stealing or trying to steal Kias and Hyundais.
Dayton police this year have received 182 reports of Kias and Hyundais being stolen or entered by thieves who tried steal the vehicles.
During the same period last year, there were only two dozen auto thefts reported involving these brands of vehicles.
Thieves have targeted Kias made since 2011 and Hyundais made since 2015 because many have a security design flaw, police and industry groups say.
To steal many Kias and Hyundais that have insert-and-turn keys, thieves need only to remove the steering columns and use a standard USB cord to start the engines.
Thieves have posted videos on TikTok, Facebook and other social media websites showing them jacking vehicles or providing instructions on how other people can steal the cars themselves.
Dayton police have been warning the public and car owners about these types of thefts for weeks. Officials have encouraged owners to get immobilizers for their brakes or steering wheels.
Alarm systems are very helpful, but the technology can be expensive, possibly hundreds of dollars or more, said Major Hall.
The Dayton Police Department recently has encouraged impacted car owners to help fight auto theft by hiding GPS fobs or key finders inside their vehicles.
GPS devices will not prevent the vehicles from being stolen, but they can help locate and recover the vehicles and hopefully they also will help police identify and apprehend suspects, Hall said.
Many kinds of GPS and locator products are available for sale that are fairly inexpensive that were designed to help people find their keys and other important items.
Police encourage car owners to hide the devices in hard-to-find spots in their vehicles.
Hall said people who acquire and use GPS devices should not try to retrieve the stolen vehicles themselves.
He said they should contact police and share the information with officers, who will respond.
Hall said some other simple steps that people can take to decrease the likelihood that they will be victims of auto theft include parking in well-lit areas or private garages.
Hall said there are probably thousands of Kias and Hyundais in Dayton, and a small share are going missing.
But he said it’s important that these car owners realize their vehicles have a greater likelihood of being targeted by thieves and stolen. This newspaper found that there are more than 61,000 Kias and Hyundais in the local Miami Valley region that are registered with the state.
Kia has said all of its 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change.
Hyundai said immobilizers became standard on all vehicles produced after Nov. 1, 2021.
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