New RPD taskforce bent on cutting down car thefts is working

Raleigh Police Department launched a new taskforce last month to try and cut down on the number of cars being stolen in the city.

The focus is on stolen cars because they're very often used in other violent crimes.

So far, the taskforce is seeing positive results.

"We look at everything from a moped to very high-end vehicles being stolen in the city," said Lieutenant John Black of RPD.

Since the launch of the taskforce in early June, 10 people have been arrested and 25 stolen cars have been recovered. The group has also recovered in total $400,000 worth of property.

"In doing so, we developed a new strategy to look at stolen vehicles and dedicating resources to that specifically because we know those are being used in violent crimes across the city," Black said. "Week over week auto thefts are down 13 percent, so we're starting to trend in the right direction and we'd like to see that continue."

RPD said it has found multiple cars recently with shell casings in them which provided links to other cases and potentially more violent crimes like aggravated assaults and homicides.

At a community meeting Tuesday night at Dix Park, RPD asked the public to continue to lock their cars and take all of their valuables out of their cars.

"Just stay vigilant," Black said. "Be aware of what's going on in your neighborhood and surrounding areas and give us a call."