SHOREVIEW, Minn. — At the Violent Crime Summit — hosted by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) and Eckberg Lammers Law Enforcement Training and Consulting (LETAC) — the conversation focused on violent crime problems and solutions.
"We know that violent crime is an issue in all of our communities, and we wanted to get legislators, prosecutors, law enforcement in the same room to talk about how can we combat this in our communities," said Lt. Lori Ellering, with the St. Cloud Police Department.
In Minneapolis, specifically this year, police have logged 280 carjacking incidents — a more than 12% jump compared to this time last year.
And in Ramsey County, there's a new trend.
"What we're seeing in Ramsey County is an increase in auto thefts, especially Kia's and Hyundai's. They have a design flaw that allows them to be stolen easier," said Ramsey County Undersheriff, Mike Martin. "The pandemic put a lot to stress in the community, kids weren't going to school, their only chance to be with good role models, social media driving a lot of problems."
But it's not just here in Minnesota. Carjackings have risen dramatically over the past two years in some of America's biggest cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and New York City.
Some experts have said there's a reason teens are the ones who are most often caught and say other factors including advancements in key fob technology may also lead to more confrontations with potential victims.
But law enforcement agencies here say they're continuing to work on retaining and recruiting officers to deal with violent crime.
"This is a chance to re-energize law enforcement through the last two years," said Ramsey County Sheriff, Bob Fletcher.
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