Auto thefts are on the rise this year in Montgomery County, up nearly 17% from the same time last year, according to data from the police department.
As the department works to inform county residents how to prevent their vehicles from being stolen, the tools officers utilize to track the stolen vehicles have also become targets for crime.
So far this month, five county police license plate reader cameras have been vandalized, Montgomery County police spokesperson Shiera Goff told Bethesda Today on Wednesday. Three of the cameras were in Silver Spring, and two were in Bethesda…