Drivers in Cook County now have a new way to try to deter carjackings and recover stolen cars more quickly.
"Our city and the people in it are rightfully terrified," said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday. "You cannot really think of a crime that could be more terrifying than somebody coming up to you when you’re in the security of your car and having a gun pulled on you."
Sheriff Dart is asking drivers to register their car to be tracked when stolen.
"It will be something to deter people because we have talked to people we take into custody, and trust me, they have been clear that they don’t want to be dealing with cars that they know we are tracking,” Dart said.
According to Cook County Sheriff’s Office statistics, Chicago leads the nation in carjackings with 1,445 so far this year in Chicago and suburban Cook County, which is slightly down from 1,482 at this time last year.
The time it takes to recover stolen vehicles in Cook County has dropped by 85% in the past two years, according to Dart, thanks in part to help from some car manufacturers.
"There’s certain manufacturers that still only operate their tracking from 9 'til 5 and others that come up and say you need a search warrant," said Dart.
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Drivers who register on the sheriff’s website can allow authorities to immediately track their car when it’s reported stolen. Cars can be registered here.
"There is hope, folks. We have things going now that can give us more tools, and we are very hopeful that we’re going to see these numbers dramatically declining in the near future,” said Dart.
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Most vehicles made since 2015 have tracking capability, according to the sheriff's office. Drivers who register will also get two tracking stickers to put on the front and back windshields to try to discourage criminals.
"The sticker’s fine because it could deter, but it’s that tracking component that could really help," said Dart.
