A coalition of cities and towns in Connecticut today will detail the formation of a new regional task force to combat auto theft, according to a spokesman.
Car thefts have grown common across the state, with reports of them occurring almost daily.
For example, a BMW was stolen at gunpoint in Oxford on Oct. 27 and later used to steal another vehicle in Manchester, according to state police. Fairfield police at that time were also are investigating an armed carjacking involving use of a BMW.
Police make three arrests, shut down multiple street takeovers in CT
Earlier in October, five juveniles between the ages of 11 to 15 years old were arrested in East Haven following a pursuit of a stolen vehicle allegedly involved in multiple armed robberies.
Also last month, a man with an history of car theft convictions was arrested after allegedly attempting to sell a stolen vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, Waterbury police said. It was a 2018 Land Rover.
The spokesman for the city of New Haven said Mayor Justin Elicker, New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson, and Connecticut State Police Colonel Daniel Loughman be with mayors, first selectpersons, and police chiefs from neighboring municipalities to speak about “the creation of a new joint regional task force dedicated to addressing auto theft.”
“Both locally and nationally, the theft of automobiles – in particular, Kias and Hyundais – and the dangerous driving of these stolen vehicles by groups of juveniles and young adults known as the Kia Boyz has posed significant safety risks to residents, property, and the motorists themselves,” New Haven spokesperson Lenny Speiller said in a statement.
He said municipal leaders from Ansonia, East Haven, Hamden, Naugatuck, New Haven, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge, and Connecticut State Police agreed on a “Joint Regional Task Force on Auto Theft,” which will assign “dedicated law enforcement personnel to participate in regular meetings, share information and intelligence, coordinate joint operations to enforce related local and state laws, identify and apprehend those engaging in these illegal activities, and connect juveniles to services and supports to help redirect them from this behavior.”
The information about the task force will be shared at the New Haven Police Department headquarters, 1 Union Ave., Friday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m.
Others expected are: Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett; Hamden Deputy Police Chief William C. Onofrio; North Haven Police Chief Kevin Glenn; Wallingford Mayor Vincent Cervoni; Wallingford Police Chief John Ventura; West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer; Woodbridge First Selectperson Mica Cardozo; Woodbridge Police Chief Frank Cappiello; Yale Police Chief Anthony Campbell; among others, Speiller said.
