How some metro area police departments are using state funds to battle rising car thefts
MINNEAPOLIS — Car thefts are rising around the metro and around the country. While the majority of cars are recovered, police only clear or make arrests in a fraction of those cases.
Take a look at the state's largest city. Car thefts in Minneapolis doubled from 2019 to 2022. While the percentage of cars recovered increased, the number of arrests plummeted. Last year, two out of every 100 thefts reported were solved.
Minneapolis Police declined WCCO's invitation to go on camera about their efforts and what's happening with this crime. But they did say bait vehicles purchased with grant money from the state commerce department are working well.
MPD doesn't have anyone dedicated solely to auto theft cases.
But, other departments do. WCCO looked at how grant money dedicated for auto theft detectives is making a dent in this crime for some communities.
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Deputy Thomas Segelstrom is part of Ramsey County's Carjacking and Auto Theft Team. The team follows thefts and deploys deputies when there's a lead.
When WCCO's Jennifer Mayerle got into his squad car to learn more about carjackings, Segelstrom was immediately called to a crash involving a stolen vehicle and first-degree burglary. Another carjacking involved a Maserati just stolen from Minneapolis.
"We're dedicated to it so we're going to help anyway we can," Segelstrom said.
The funding for his position and two others came directly from a grant by the state commerce department two years ago.
"We just hit the ground running, targeting the people that were active and making arrests," Segelstrom said.
It's increased to five funded positions and two analysts.
"We are very intel based. Our intel unit are essentially up to date on the people committing the core crimes. We will gather any stolen report and we will reach out get video, ID these kids," Segelstrom said. "We're making multiple arrests throughout the week, or a given day, and recovering up to eight vehicles."
Segelstrom said that violent crime stems from carjackings.
"How do you commit a crime? You need a vehicle," Segelstrom said. The department arrested two alleged car thieves on the day WCCO was with them.
Maplewood police says the CAT team is having an impact in the county, but there's other movement too.
Just a few years ago, it was alarming said Lt. Joe Steiner.
"Our auto theft numbers were so high. Some of the highest per capita in the state," Lt. Joe Steiner said.
They made arrests in roughly 7% percent of cases. Then the department also received a commerce grant.
"The biggest way it helps is just having that dedicated auto theft detective. That alone has significantly increased our clearance rates in auto theft," Steiner said.
Since then, Maplewood has reported fewer auto thefts and more arrests, resulting in an increase of cases cleared.
In 2021, cleared cases rose to 23% and it dipped to 17% the following year. Now, it's back to 20% so far this year.
"I was pretty optimistic from the beginning," Steiner said.
Steiner says information sharing, DNA collection, and a tool called Star Chase has contributed to the change.
This allows squads to back off and helps police remotely track a car. An equipment grant made it possible.
"They're able to get behind the vehicle, activate the system inside the squad, kind of like a video game. Control where the dart is going to be place and they're able to fire from inside the vehicle onto that stolen vehicle," Detective Mitchell Condon said.
At a time when departments are strapped, they say it's clear grants allow them to do more in this challenging investigative space. A second position was just fully funded.
"We're coming for them, we're going to arrest them," Steiner said.
Since Ramsey County assists several departments, they don't track clearance rates the same way. The CAT team has recovered 600 stolen vehicles valued at more than $7 million.
Click here to learn more about the state grants and how else they've been used.
