Milwaukee experiencing a rash of car thefts by teens

In the city of Milwaukee, car thefts are on the rise. It is very cold in Milwaukee during the winter months. Now teenagers are stealing cars that are left unattended in drive ways. Many drivers have remote car starters so they use them to start their vehicle so that it has a warm engine before they drive it. The problem with this is that many people are leaving their doors unlocked when they do this. This has allowed teens who are walking by these vehicles to just open the door, get into the driver’s seat and drive way with the car.
There has been an increase of car thefts by 43 percent in District 7 and the winter months have just begun. Most of the cars have been recovered within a few blocks of the high school. This problem is very shocking but shows that even young teens can turn to criminal acts. Many teens think that this is a joke or that they needed the car to get to school because they did not want to walk in the cold. However, police officers need to be dispatched to the scene every time that a vehicle is reported stolen. Most drivers would never think that a car thief would just take their vehicle for a joy ride to their high school. Most people think of a car theft and imagine that their car has been stolen and will be stripped for parts.
The rests of the districts in the city have seen their number of car thefts increase by approximately 58 percent. The number has drastically increased in the last several weeks. It does not seem to look like the thefts will decrease consider that January is a very cold month so many teens will be looking for unattended vehicles to steal.
Parents need to get involved and make sure that they know where their kids are at all times. Many teens walk to school but it might be a good idea for parents to carpool or start driving their teens to school on their own. Educators too should look out for teens who are suddenly driving vehicles when they usually do not have access to one. Prevention is key so it is important for Milwaukee residents to be as vigilant as possible.
Most law enforcement officials say that laziness is what has caused these car thefts to occur. By law, you will receive a $22 ticket for leaving your car started while unattended. Most drivers think that their cars are safe for a few minutes but they do not think big picture. Most teens are familiar with the habits of people in their neighborhood as soon as you leave that car unattended they can jump in the driver’s seat.
It is important to take measures to prevent this from happening. If you need to start up your car, then sit in it or ask an adult such as your spouse or neighbor to watch the vehicle for you. Consider taking public transportation such as a bus, cab, or train so that you can leave your car in the drive way and not have to start it up before you leave. Install an anti-theft device in your vehicle so that you can make sure that your vehicle does not get stolen. Hopefully, law enforcement officials will be able to catch the teen culprits who are committing these car thefts soon so that people can feel safer.