Detroit Police Chief James Craig held a press conference Thursday to respond to an uptick in the number of carjackings this week.
The recently created Carjacking Task Force is on the case, though, with the very specific plan to "meet with owners of gas stations, liquor stores and party stores," according to Craig. "I’ve talked to citizens who told me there’s loitering outside those types of businesses, which are breeding grounds for carjackings. So we’re going to work with the business community, but also hold them accountable."
Hopefully, police will also be held accountable for helping those business owners, because kindly asking the friendly neighborhood carjacker to find somewhere else to chill is not always effective.
According to the Detroit News, carjackings are down 33% overall this year, despite 5 carjackings occurring Tuesday night.
The Carjacking Task Force, which was created earlier this summer, combines the forces of the Michigan State Police and a nonprofit group Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) to send officers to areas carjackings occur often. HEAT is also offering a $2,000 reward for intel on carjackers. You can call 'em at 1-800-242-HEAT.
