Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Minneapolis had recorded 2,100 car thefts as of June last year. This year, an astounding 4,125 cars have been stolen in the city so far. Other metro-area jurisdictions report similar problems, with mostly juvenile thieves.
The youth auto theft problem has grown nationwide ever since a 2021 social media video went viral with instructions on how to hotwire Kias and Hyundais quickly.
Stealing cars has seriously threatened public safety — way beyond kids taking brief joyrides. Increasingly, stolen vehicles have been used to commit other crimes or involved in high-speed chases, dangerous racing and crashes. Too often, police find guns in cars, with drivers and passengers as young as 11 and 12. And authorities note that many are repeat offenders, with some being picked up, then released, multiple times.
Although more urgency would have been appropriate, public officials and law enforcement are taking note. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office, state officials and a group of metro-area law enforcement agencies are wisely working on improving cross-jurisdictional cooperation and other strategies.
At a Wednesday news conference, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty unveiled a new approach to handling youth car thefts that involves collaboration with law enforcement and social workers. And at a separate event, activist and attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong and other community leaders called for more resources and programming to provide young people with constructive activities.
Moriarty said there will be a faster turnaround for charging decisions and that her office will ask judges to review detention decisions about holding young people charged with fleeing police. In addition, more intervention services, including a hotline for families to receive immediate social worker support, will be used to address underlying issues that contribute to criminal behavior. The idea is to intervene with at-risk youth and prevent crime before it occurs.