Teens Believed to be Stealing Vehicles in Area

Baltimore City teenagers are believed to be responsible for a recent spike in auto thefts in the greater Parkville area, according to Capt. Thomas J. Busch, precinct commander for Parkville's police station.

So far this year there have been 13 vehicle thefts in the Parkville area. Nine of those—roughly 75 percent—have occurred in the last 28 days, Busch told the Parkville Police Community Relations Council Tuesday night.

"It's unknown right now whether it's [gang] initiations or just kids joyriding," Busch said.

Busch said the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, a joint effort between city and county police, had some leads on suspects in the auto thefts. 

Police believe a group of teenagers is stealing vehicles in the city and then driving them out to Baltimore County. The teens abandon the first car before stealing another vehicle and returning to the city, Busch said.

Many of the vehicles stolen in the county have been recovered in the Baltimore City Police Department's Northeastern District, but some have made it as far away as Prince George's County.

The majority of recent vehicle thefts have occurred in the Harford Park area—between Harford Road and Perring Parkway on the east and west and Taylor Avenue and the Baltimore City line on the north and south, according to Parkville precinct Administrative Officer Mark Dorsey.

"Of course, we've already put word out to those community and homeowners associations," Dorsey said.

Most of the stolen vehicles have been Dodge makes, including Caravan, Stratus, Neon and Durango, from the late 1990s through the early 2000s. 

The vehicles are targeted because they lack a safety feature that requires a microchip to be near the ignition in order for the car to start. The anti-theft deterrent is common in newer cars.

"Older cars don't have that feature and that allows someone to pull out the ignition, touch two wires and drive off," said Busch, pointing out the black plastic casing on the ignition key of a new model car.

Busch said residents could deter the theft of older model vehicles by using a locking device for the steering wheel and simply locking their vehicle doors.

The recent vehicle thefts were the one blemish on an otherwise positive trend in area crimes, Busch said.

Vehicle thefts this year are down by more than half compared with the same period in 2010. Last year at this time there were 35 vehicles stolen in the Parkville area.

Other crimes, including burglaries and robberies, are also down compared to this time last year, said Busch.