Madison Police: More than half of stolen vehicle cases involve Kia, Hyundai models
MADISON, Wis. — Recent car thefts in Madison and across the state of Wisconsin have police searching for ways to stop them.
Scott Reitmeier, the detective sergeant with the Burglary Crime Unit at the Madison Police Department, said prior to the recent increase in thefts, the department had plans in place to address vehicle theft this summer.
“We’re seeing a large number of Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen compared to other vehicles,” said Reitmeier. “Those vehicles are being targeted specifically.”
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Reitmeier says the department is currently handling 48 stolen vehicle cases. More than half of those, according to Reitmeier, are Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
“This is a larger number than we’re used to,” said Reitmeier. “We’re definitely in a surge of those types of vehicles as word gets out on their vulnerabilities.”
This is an issue not just in Madison. Last year in Milwaukee, Kia thefts were up 1,700%. From the same report, Hyundai thefts were up 3,200%.
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According to the Madison Area Safety Connection, these vehicle thefts have increased due to a vulnerability issue.
The Madison Police Department says it is working with local distributors to help resolve the problem.
“I’ve had some conversations with the automakers themselves about some fixes that are hopefully coming,” said Reitmeier.
Until the problems are resolved, police say there are some ways to try to keep your vehicle safe.
“We wanna lock everything up every night, park in places with good lighting, if you have one of these vehicles that can be broken into and driven away without the keys, we encourage you to keep it in a locked garage,” said Reitmeier.
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