The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) released a report last month. 38 percent increase in motor vehicle thefts, Overall crime, including carjacking, increased 2.3% in 2023 compared to 2022, while violent crime fell 0.1% statewide during the same period.

Especially, NCSBI reported There was a 127% increase in the number of juvenile suspects involved in motor vehicle theft last year; 836 children were arrested in connection with carjackings in 2023, compared to 369 in 2022. Overall arrests of children accused of crimes increased by 35%, according to the analysis.

“North Carolina isn’t the only state to see an increase in car thefts, but a 38% annual increase is a shock to the system. This is likely one of the reasons why North Carolinians have shown increased concern about the impact of theft in recent years.” they have crime in their lives,” says Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation. North Carolina-based think tankhe told Fox News Digital.

Police departments seeing a particularly staggering increase in carjackings in 2023 include Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which recorded 7,156 motor vehicle thefts last year, compared to 3,202 in 2022; Durham recorded 1,913 car thefts in 2023 versus 826 in 2022; and Raleigh, where there were 1,691 car thefts last year, compared to 1,037 in 2022.

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A police officer works in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 30, 2024. (Peter Zay/Anatolia)

Crime rates in these three cities increased 13% overall between 2022 and 2023, according to NCSBI.

Cary, a smaller city outside Raleigh, also saw a more than 50% increase in motor vehicle thefts, with 306 thefts reported in 2023, up from 126 in 2022. The NCSBI report shows overall crime in the city increased by 15% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

“Car theft has become the crime of choice in recent years.”

— Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst

“It is unlikely that these figures will harm the state.” Attorney General Josh Stein’s proposal He needs to transition from his post as North Carolina’s top law enforcement official to chief executive, but that’s an issue the next state AG must address to move forward. Car theft has become a crime of choice in recent years. “It looks like North Carolina’s law enforcement agencies have some work to do to make this election even more difficult,” Kokai said.

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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said in an Oct. 10 press release that “the overall number of vehicle thefts this year is not increasing or decreasing compared to this time last year, while thefts resulting from automobile accidents are down 9%” (7,645 in 2024 and 2023) 8,381).

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer is seen inside a patrol car ahead of Hurricane Florence on September 13, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg)

The city has also seen a 28% increase in homicides since the beginning of 2024, but CMPD’s homicide investigation clearance rate is above the national average of 70% in the third quarter of 2024.

In July, CMPD Deputy Chief David Robinson said the department would “focus on our top priorities by reducing violent crime, automobile crime and juvenile delinquency in our community.”

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“The numbers show us that this is not just a law enforcement issue. This is a societal issue and every citizen has a role to play,” he said. “We will all need to work collaboratively to keep our great city safe.”

In September, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the nation’s largest police organization, nominated Donald Trump for president at an event in Charlotte.

Former President Trump speaks at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

“Public safety and border security will be important issues in the final months of this campaign,” said FOP National Chairman Patrick Yoes. “Our members carefully evaluated the candidates’ positions on the issues, and there was no doubt – zero doubt – about who they wanted as president for the next four years: Donald J. Trump.”

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Yoes said Trump “made clear that he supports law enforcement and border security” during his first term and “stood with” police during the riots in the summer of 2020.

“The presidential endorsement of the FOP, the nation’s oldest and largest law enforcement agency, is one of the most sought-after endorsements by candidates running for president,” Yoes said.

“FOP is the number one voice for America’s law enforcement community. We have a responsibility to our members, the 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers in the United States, and the communities they serve, to do our part in setting the direction our country will be on track.”