The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday, April 18, it plans to ramp up efforts to crack down on carjackings across the United States. The department announced the expansion of “Carjacking Task Forces.” The additional units will target areas described as a “public safety threat” in Washington, Oregon, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama.
Department officials said that these task forces have been successful in the past in place like Philadelphia, which reportedly saw a 31% drop in carjackings from 2022-2023. Chicago’s carjackings also dropped by 29% after the introduction of its task force and the District of Columbia saw a drop of 28%.
The initiative will be led by the Offices of the United States Attorneys, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The DOJ said that the initiative will also focus federal resources on “significant carjacking offenders,” in particular, cases where adults use minors to commit car thefts. The department also said that it will be working with local law enforcement to handle juvenile criminals.
These new task forces seek to implement national best practices for stopping car thefts and recovering stolen vehicles. This particular initiative is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to further prevent and more widely prosecute violent crime.
