Minneapolis police say new technology is contributing to recent rise in auto thefts

Car thefts are spiking in Minneapolis, and police say that a newer method of stealing is partially to blame. 

According to spokesperson Sgt. Garrett Parten, officers have found tablet devices in some stolen vehicles that can be used in conjunction with a generic key fob to get a car started. 

Locksmith Andrei Damian showed WCCO how the tools work. To begin, he calibrates a blank key fob to work for a specific kind of car brand. From there, he plugs his Autel tablet into the target vehicle, which then downloads data from the car and transmits it onto the fob. From there, that fob will unlock and start the car just like the one the driver would have walked off the dealership lot with at the time of purchase. 

The whole process takes just minutes, though Damian noted that it's rare that it will work on newer car models. 

"We just plug in, and we read the file and you're doing a clone of the existing key," Damian said.

His device set him back about $2,500, though cheaper, less effective models can be found online. He wants to see laws change to require licenses to purchase these kinds of devices and for there to be increased penalties when people are caught with them in their possession. He and his peers in the locksmith industry use them to help drivers who may have lost their keys or are otherwise locked out of their vehicles; it's why, he said, he and others have become targets themselves. 

"I had a car with four young teenagers pulled right at the side of my vehicle," Damian said, describing a time that a group stole equipment from him. "Four guys, with guns, what can you do?"

Parten said that while this method is new, it does not appear to be widespread. As of Monday, data from the Minneapolis Police Department shows there were 1,528 stolen vehicles so far in 2026. In just under 40% of those instances, he said, a driver had left their car running and unattended. 

Still, data shows a 43% increase in the number of cars stolen without keys year-over-year. 

Damien and other experts recommend looking into what's known as a ghost immobiliser or kill-switch. These devices allow the driver to create a unique way of starting up the car. For example, a driver could make it so that they'd need to press the volume button or toggle the high beam lever before pushing the start button. 

The number of car thefts in the city is about 8.8% lower than the three-year average after the records set in 2023.