The Justice Department is ramping up its efforts to reduce violent crime in the U.S., launching a specialized gun intelligence center in Chicago and expanding task forces to curb carjackings.
Carjacking
Justice Department Ramps up Efforts to Reduce Violent Crime With Gun Intel Center, Carjacking Forces
CPD said it works with private partners and businesses to aid eligible vehicle owners in obtaining steering wheel locks, catalytic converter etchings and other theft prevention information.
Get an inside look at how a regional task force is working to apprehend carjackers across Chicago.
The $21 million in grants will be funded through a dollar assessment charged annually on Illinois auto insurance policies.
“The defendant has shown that he’s a loose cannon, whose behavior is erratic and unpredictable,” Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Kelly said Thursday. “He creates a significant risk to the community at large.”
Carjackings in Chicago are up 5% in 2022 compared to the same time last year. Police have arrested 545 people this year in carjacking-related incidents, and of those, more than half are juveniles.
Both locally and nationally, carjackings are on the rise. In Chicago, they have tripled over the last decade, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. Other cities including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. have also seen similar upticks.
“Having talked to state’s attorneys who were dealing with these cases in juvenile court, and others, a lot of parents went to work during the day thinking their teenagers were logged on for remote learning, only to find something else,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Edmond Harris, 18, faces charges of carjacking, discharging a firearm and causing death through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, stemming from the fatal March shooting of Javier Ramos in Chicago.
Cornelius Carr, 18, was charged with vehicular hijacking and armed robbery after he allegedly called a ride-hailing service with the sole intent of carjacking the driver who arrived to pick him up.
The Chicago Police Department unveiled a new website dedicated to its carjacking prevention efforts following what it called a “successful” mission over the weekend by a joint carjacking task force that resulted in a dozen arrests.
February saw fewer carjackings in Chicago compared to the previous month amid historic snowfall totals and increased policing efforts, while the number of shootings and homicides recorded last month remain on par with totals from February 2020.
A Chicago man allegedly pushed a woman out of her vehicle as he was attempting to escape during a carjacking before getting stuck in the heavy snowfall that blanketed the city Tuesday morning.
Anthony Blackburn, 18, was ordered held without bail Wednesday during his initial appearance on charges of vehicular hijacking, attempted vehicular hijacking and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
In a new status report, the Chicago Police Department said it “doubled down on its efforts to accelerate compliance” during its latest reporting period after missing 70% of its deadlines in the previous period.
According to Chicago Police Department data, the 51 homicides recorded in January mark the most in that month since 2017. There were also 218 vehicular hijackings reported last month, compared to 77 in January 2020, according to CPD data — an increase of 183%.
