BUFFALO, N.Y. — A proposed bill in Albany could stop those who repeatedly steal cars.
"It's pretty aggravating for our officers when they arrest somebody who knows the game, and the only comment they have to our officers is 'just give me the appearance ticket so I can get out of here,'" said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Right now, anyone who steals a car is released after getting that appearance ticket because of the state's bail reform.
However, under State Senator Jeremy Cooney's proposed Car Theft Prevention Act, stealing a car would become a bail-eligible offense and a felony.
"It gets rid of the appearance ticket portion of that crime. They then have to see a judge and if the judge actually had discretion in setting bail, then at least you got a little more teeth to it," Gramaglia said.
"If they didn't make bail, then they would be locked up and wouldn't be able to go out there and do it again. We're seeing a lot of repeat offenders so it has the potential to crack down on that and it would be a deterrent as well. These young kids know that there's no bailout there," said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.
State data shows car thefts are up by 213% in Erie County.
In the City of Buffalo, there have been 2,391 car thefts so far this year.
Despite this, Buffalo Police say the number of stolen vehicles in the city is decreasing.
Though this legislation could help keep adult repeat offenders off the streets, it wouldn't keep minors from committing the same crime.
Gramaglia says a lot of the stolen vehicles in the city are Kia's and Hyundai's, many of which are being taken by 14-to-19-year-olds.
For that, he says throwing kids behind bars isn't always the answer.
"That's not the solution. There has to be a lot more intervention throughout the process," Gramaglia said.
"Why is that 14, 15, 16-year-old out at 2:00 in the morning? And not just once, but repeatedly. Why is that kid in a position where they're continually stealing cars when they should be in bed getting their rest to go to school the next day?"