Stolen car reports rarely make it as cases for Hennepin Co. Attorney's Office

MINNEAPOLIS — Kids stealing cars is a crisis everyone is working to pump the brakes on but there's a challenge when comes to cracking down on car crimes.

In the first six months of the year, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says there were 4,039 reports of stolen vehicles in the county.

But those reports rarely lead to cases sent to the county attorney's office, which says it has received less than 500 this year. Half of those cases involve juveniles.

Both prosecutors and police say auto theft cases are difficult to prove.

Stolen cars are left on the side of the road with no suspect and little evidence.

"The things that we have to do to prove who's in the car who is actually the driver of the car," said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt during a Tuesday roundtable discussion.

Top law enforcement leaders say when they do arrest those behind the wheel, they face another barrier: the lack of facilities to take them.

"We understand the impact of juveniles going into the system — but there is a gap and there needs to be a time out," said Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom.

Meanwhile, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office believes its Youth Auto Theft Intervention Initiative has produced results since it launched last summer.

"Young people who were referred and who had outreach through a social worker from the county, 81% of those young people has no new charges," said Sarah Davis, Director of the Children and Family Division of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

But both top cops and beat cops on the street believe more needs to be done.