Chicago – As co-chair of the Attorney General Alliance’s (AGA) Organized Retail Crime Working Group, Attorney General Kwame Raoul partnered with the AGA to convene local, state and federal law enforcement officials, legal professionals and industry leaders for an Auto Theft Symposium in Chicago. The symposium brought together law enforcement representatives with auto industry leaders OnStar and General Motors to discuss collaborative theft prevention strategies to deter and reduce vehicular hijacking and auto thefts throughout Illinois.
The symposium featured presentations by leaders from the FBI, Chicago Police Department, General Motors and OnStar. Discussions focused on the impact auto thefts have on public safety at large, as well as the role public-private law enforcement collaborations play in reducing vehicular hijacking, auto thefts and related crimes. Raoul convened the symposium following conversations with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Lemont Police Department chief of police.
“This symposium was informed by my conversations with Chief of Police for the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department Leo Schmitz and Lemont Police Department Chief of Police Marc Maton. In discussing auto thefts taking place in their respective communities, there was a clear need for a larger dialogue centered on vehicular hijacking and auto theft prevention that included various law enforcement jurisdictions and leaders from the auto industry,” Raoul said. “Most, if not all, vehicles today come equipped with GPS technology that helps law enforcement recover stolen vehicles and apprehend perpetrators more quickly. This symposium was an opportunity for law enforcement officials to learn about the latest technological advances from industry leaders OnStar and General Motors, and to discuss leveraging technology and cross-jurisdictional collaborations to ultimately deter auto thefts altogether and make our communities safer.”
According to OnStar, vehicles equipped with OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance technology can be located and recovered hours after a theft takes place. Symposium presentations from OnStar, the National Automobile Dealers Association and General Motors highlighted GPS technology, which can help law enforcement quickly locate stolen vehicles, and the capability to remotely slow down vehicles. Such features are standard in most new vehicles, allowing members of law enforcement to collaborate to monitor stolen vehicles, plan vehicle slowdowns and recoveries, and apprehend perpetrators without jeopardizing the general public’s safety.
Additional participants included officials from the Bolingbrook Police Department, Carol Stream Police Department, Clarendon Hills Police Department, Glendale Heights Police Department, Naperville Police Department and the Villa Park Police Department. Also attending were DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and representatives from the offices of the Arkansas, Georgia, Nevada and South Carolina attorneys general.
