This is all crazy making stuff. It’s not the criminals that are responsible as they never would have stolen the car had the manufacturers made it more difficult to steal. The criminals are merely victims of an oppressive society that lured them into crime. Who pickled the Progressive Left’s brains? If car theft is about on par with littering why not steal cars? Rob Wood From the Opinion page of WSJ May 16 Progressive Crime and Punishment Car thefts have spiked amid the turn toward progressive policing. And, naturally, the response by progressives who run big cities is to punish the auto makers. Last week Baltimore joined other cities suing Kia and Hyundai for the alleged offense of making cars that are too easy to steal. Baltimore complains that the South Korean companies failed to equip their vehicles with technology to prevent cars from starting without a key. This alleged flaw “has been the subject of numerous TikTok videos demonstrating the ease with which these cars can be stolen,” the city says. Some older models supposedly can be stolen merely with a USB cable. Auto thefts are up 95% in Baltimore from a year ago. Kia and Hyundai “have left our residents vulnerable to crime and are significantly burdening our police resources,” says Mayor Brandon Scott. No mention that the City Council cut the police budget by $22 million in 2020 amid calls to defund police, and officers are leaving because of low morale. Vehicle thefts have surged nationwide since 2020 as cities and states pulled back on law enforcement, released criminals from jails, and reduced their use of cash bail. According to the Insurance Information Institute, vehicle thefts increased 11% in 2020, 6% in 2021 and 7% in 2022. Kias and Hyundais didn’t rank in the top 10 most stolen models in 2021. Progressive leaders want the companies to pay to compensate for their political failure to protect their citizens. Baltimore follows St. Louis, Cleveland, San Diego, Milwaukee, Seattle and New York City in demanding that Kia and Hyundai pay damages for “public nuisances” resulting from auto thefts. “Vehicle theft poses a serious threat to public safety—it goes hand in hand with reckless driving, which in turn causes injuries and death,” Baltimore’s lawsuit says. “It also results in increased violence, as car owners may attemptto stop someone attempting to stealtheir vehicle. It consumes scarce law enforcement and emergency resources and deprives the public of safe streets and sidewalks.” It’s nice to hear progressive cities say they care about crime, but how about targeting the criminals rather than what they steal?
