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Atlanta police hand out anti-theft devices to owners of Kia, Hyundai vehicles
The city of Atlanta is giving away free security devices to owners of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in an attempt to curb the alarming rate of thefts. FOX 5 spoke to the law enforcement agency about this new anti-crime initiative.
ATLANTA - The Club is back. That announcement wasn’t made on an infomercial, but rather, during a press conference held on Wednesday by the Atlanta Police Department.
FOX 5 has been reporting on the increase in Kia and Hyundai vehicles being stolen, despite overall theft and crime in Atlanta being down year-over-year.
The driving force behind targeting those makes is social media, particularly posts on the Chinese app TikTok, which instructs people how to exploit the security systems in Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
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Atlanta Police say gangs and youth are steering the current auto crime wave. The department’s top brass says many are treating this as if it’s a game, but officers are working to let them know just how serious the issue is.
"We have to notice the hardship that they are putting on some of the members of our community," said APD Zone 1 commander Major R. Moorman. "I’ve been to several homes and businesses, several people I spoke with who have been victimized multiple times."
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Major Moorman says he shares in the frustration of the victims of these car thieves.
The major says they have been proactively trying to deter younger offenders from engaging in such activities and steer them towards youth programs set up by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. He admits many of the offenders come from his zone in northwest Atlanta, which puts a bigger burden on his officers.
"We’ve actually been giving out Clubs," the major said.
Some may remember the 1990s infomercials which featured law enforcement officers and sometimes dramatized car break-ins. The makers of The Club tagline is "If you can’t steer it, you can’t steal it."
Atlanta Police are hoping that remains the case nearly four decades after the device was first created. Major Moorman says they have received donations from Kia and Hyundai.
"We do have Hyundais and Kias, Clubs for them here at this location, but we’re actually going to go out into the street and when we see some of the people with these vehicles, of course, we’re going to pass them out," the major said.
The major says they have been doing it for the last few weeks.
Police say they cannot comment on the ongoing gang efforts in the city, but say they are proactively working on several fronts.
APD’s top brass say Atlanta’s youth as well as parents and guardians should take this as a warning.
"We’ve adopted a non-tolerance policy as it pertains to this," said Captain Ralph Woolfolk.
Police say they will use all their tools at their disposal to end this current auto crime wave.
"We just don’t want to be coming to your door knocking for your child, as it relates to these types of crimes," said Capt. Woolfolk.
Any Atlanta resident who owns a Kia or Hyundai, who is interested in getting a Club, should contact the Atlanta Police Department’s Zone 1 precinct.