The Illinois State Police says car theives are good at what they do.
The agency has been using more than $10 million in grant funding to try to crack down on auto thefts and hijackings.
From July through September, Illinois State Troopers recovered more than 200 stolen vehicles in special enforcement efforts. The crackdown included the use of K9’s and air operations.
Forensic analysts handled more than a thousand pieces of evidence.
“They can help determine if the vehicle was stolen for parts, sometimes they will steal it for parts or it was for joyriding,” said State Police Master Sergeant Calvin Dye on Total Information A.M.
Dye says sometimes suspects will admit they stole a car just to have transportation.
It’s easy to do.
“So what a lot of the analysts say, what they are saying through the fingerprints, the DNA swabs is that these car thieves, there’s a certain spot behind the steering column where they can get back there,” explains Dye. “There’s a piece behind the steering column where if they utilize a screwdriver or a USB, surprisingly, most of these vehicles will start up.”