ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A nationwide effort to crack down on stolen Kia models is taking place in downtown Rochester starting Friday.
The automaker is working with Monroe County’s law enforcement agencies to host an event where people can upgrade their car’s anti-theft software. The event will be at Monroe Community College’s downtown campus on Friday through Sunday. It runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at Lot CC on Morrie Silver Way near Innovative Field.
Local leaders have raised alarms about an increase in thefts for Kia and Hyundai models because of how-to videos circulating on social media such as TikTok. Leaders also say the two automakers failed to add proper anti-theft technology, making the cars easy to hotwire with a USB cable.
Just how badly are these upgrades needed? News10NBC rarely goes a night without hearing reports of stolen cars on the police scanner in the newsroom.
When Gov. Hochul came to Rochester in August, she said that car thefts in Rochester jumped by 829% since the same time last year. The county as a whole saw a 345% increase which Hochul said was the largest in the nation.
In June, there was an average of 12 cars a day stolen in the city. News10NBC reported that those numbers took a nose dive in September, with the month finishing out at about half of June’s stolen car total.
Rochester Police say the decline could be attributed to multiple factors including the county’s Juvenile Enhanced Diversion Stabilization program. The JEDS program holds kids who would otherwise be let go on an appearance ticket and gets them in services to try and stop repeat offenders. Other factors could include increased public awareness, steering wheel locks, and car owners getting security upgrades.
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