Residents of a southern Chicago suburb can soon attend a "carjacking seminar" to help better prepare them for what officials say is a rise in car thefts across the area.
Tinley Park Mayor Mike Glotz announced late last month that the village's seminar will take place Thursday evening, featuring Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
The event will offer a question and answer session for residents, as well as tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of the crime. It will also discuss potential "vehicle trackers" residents can purchase should they become a victim.
In a video announcing the seminar, Glotz said suburban Cook County has seen "a significant spike in carjackings and dealership robberies in recent months."
The seminar will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Tinley Park Convention Center, though it will also be live streamed.
"With carjackings on the rise, it's never been more important to stay alert and informed," the village stated, adding that "knowledge is the best way to fight back."
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The seminar comes one day after legislation was proposed that would requiring auto manufacturers to create a 24/7 recovery hotline to help law enforcement quickly track stolen vehicles.
"The inability for law enforcement to access tracking information in real time after a carjacking makes it difficult to catch offenders and prevent the vehicle from being used in additional crimes," the Cook County Sheriff's office wrote on its Facebook page.
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According to authorities, Cook County reported 2,060 carjackings in the last year and carjackings rose 38% from 2020 to 2021.
“Tracking is a game changer. Gaining better access to this information in a way that protects consumers will go a long way to turning back the rise in this particularly vicious crime,” Dart said in a statement. “In analyzing data on this crime, we know that the sooner we know where the car is, the better chance we have of finding the offenders and preventing the vehicle from being used in other crimes.”
