Dearborn Mayor Abullah Hammoud (at podium) announces a new Auto Theft Task Force initiative June 21 in partnership with local communities to help combat vehicle theft, as Dearborn Police Commander Tim McHale (left), Michigan State Police Capt. Philip Menna, Detroit Assistant Police Chief Chuck Fitzgerald, Detroit Police Deputy Chief Kari Sloan, Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart and Garden City Police Chief Tim Gibbons listen.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Police Chief Issa Shahin and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud announced the formation of an Auto Theft Task Force June 21 at the Dearborn Administrative Center with other local law enforcement in an effort to reduce crime.
Hammoud said vehicle theft is a top priority for the city of Dearborn and other communities.
“The reality is our goal is to prevent this crime before it even occurs,” he said. “That is the best way to tackle these issues, and that is what this task force is looking to do.”
Hammoud said criminals and thieves are operating as if there are no city boundaries and are operating fluidly from city to city.
“We’ll pool our collective resources together to multiply our efforts, and hopefully the impact that is showcased to the residents is about how we protect our streets and protect our neighborhoods and ensure that our livelihoods are not impacted,” he said.
Hammoud said the help of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is a key component of the effort.
“The reason we are here is because it is a very important issue,” he said. “It is a top issue in every single city and every single level of government and that is why we’re taking this step today.”
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart said his city has experienced more than 125 stolen vehicles since January.
“That is 125 opportunities where one of our residents walk out of their homes to go to work in the morning and discover that their vehicle is stolen, or came out from work and discovered that they had no transportation, and that is unacceptable,” he said at the announcement. “I want to send a very strong message to the folks that are out there stealing these Kias and Chargers and other vehicles. We are coming after you. We will not tolerate you operating with impunity in our communities.”
Hart said he suggests that the shops that are out there buying stolen parts to support their businesses get their parts from the original equipment manufacturers instead.
He said law enforcement is after the people who buy the stolen cars as well as those who are receiving them from the middlemen.
Hart said that some of the vehicles are being stolen by criminals who seek transportation that can’t be traced to them to commit other crimes.
“We will not tolerate it,” he said. “We are defending our communities and we will do constitutional policing and we are going to work hard as a force multiplier at a time when law enforcement numbers are at an all-time low.”
Livonia Police Capt. Gregory Yon said his department was also committed to this collaborative effort to reduce these crimes in the local communities.
“The dangers of fleeing and eluding the police is that there are citizens that can be hurt,” he said at the announcement. “We are committed to this 100 percent.”
Shahin said he is excited about the police partnerships that they are building in southeast Michigan.
Also at the announcement were Police Commander Tim McHale, Dearborn Heights Director of Support Services Paul Vanderplow; Detroit Police Commander Eric Decker, Assistant Police Chief Chuck Fitzgerald and Police Deputy Chief Kari Sloan; Garden City Police Chief Tim Gibbons; Michigan State Police Capt. Philip Menna and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kim Miles.