SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced today more than $11 million in new grants to assist law enforcement agencies throughout the state in protecting against the surge in carjackings and vehicle thefts.
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The Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council, which Giannoulias’ office oversees, distributed grants to six law enforcement agencies that can start using the funds July 1. To fund the grants, the insurance industry provides $1 for every passenger vehicle it insures to the Secretary of State’s Office.
“These grants are a matter of public safety and provide our law enforcement agencies with the personnel, tools and tech resources they need to help safeguard residents from the rise of violent carjackings and car thefts,” Giannoulias said. “For many of us, our vehicle serves as a lifeline. We depend on it for work, running errands, shuttling our kids around to practices and camps and visiting loved ones. To have it stolen can have terrible consequences for families and upend their lives. This taskforce plays a critical role by ensuring local, state, and federal law enforcement officers must work together to address these crimes.”
"To stop crime you have to solve crime – and to solve crime you have to have resources," said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. "This grant funding will allow the Illinois State Police to focus additional resources on catching those committing vehicle thefts, hijackings and other related violent crimes."
“The Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force (ISATT) would like to thank Secretary Giannoulias for his unwavering support in the fight against vehicular hijacking, catalytic converter theft, and vehicle theft,” said Illinois Secretary of State Police Lieutenant and Director of ISATT Adam Broshous. “His support has aided in the recovery of thousands of stolen vehicles and the prevented theft of untold thousands more. As vehicle crimes are often associated with violent crimes, these grants are making an impact on keeping our communities safer.”
“The Chicago Police Department is grateful for the generous grant provided by Secretary Giannoulias through the Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft and Insurance Verification Council,” said Chicago Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Kevin Bruno. “The funds will be instrumental in advancing our auto theft and vehicle hijacking efforts, which focus on theft prevention, stolen vehicle recovery and the prosecution of offenders.”
“The Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force would like to thank the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft and Insurance Verification Council for their continued support,” said Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force Director Zach Johnston. “With their funding we are able to continue our mission in combating auto theft-related crimes.”
Law enforcement agencies can use the awards for salaries and benefits for personnel assigned to vehicle theft prevention units, vehicles, computers, vehicle tracking devices, GPS data, evidence kits, body cameras and drones for aerial vehicle searches.
The grant funding enabled law enforcement agencies to expand access to dedicated vehicle theft investigators and prosecutors at their local state’s attorney office. Law enforcement can use the money to hire dedicated auditors to verify scrap shops and body shops are not using stolen parts or metal.
The additional funding has also enabled law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively with federal and local units to address instances of title fraud and investigate cases of fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (VIN) before vehicles can be resold or recover vehicles fraudulently sold.
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