BUFFALO, N.Y. — Stolen vehicles continue to be an issue for Western New York, but here in Buffalo, police are saying a new problem is brewing. The new problem is repeat offenders.
The number of stolen vehicles, now driving to be well over 2,000 this year alone, stands as a record high for Buffalo. Most of them stem from the Kia and Hyundai challenge.
"The problem is those repeat offenders we're arresting," Buffalo Police commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Repeat offenders steal cars, get charged, and then are released to do the same crime again.
"With bail reform, those are an appearance ticket type of charge. We can take them down. We can process them. We can charge them. They have to be released on an appearance ticket," Gramaglia said.
Being released is becoming an issue for Gramaglia. Law enforcement wasn't included in conversations with lawmakers when bail reform was included in the 2020 budget. Now they are.
"There was one change that went into play. The least restrictive means language was removed. I think that's a good first start. More needs to be done. We need the ability to hold those who are considered a danger to the public," Gramaglia says.
That's easier to get done with adult repeat offenders. Juveniles are a bit different.
"That is held in the juvenile court system. We have no idea what happens at that point," Gramaglia said.
If an adult gets charged for a stolen vehicle and has a history of it as a juvenile, the court won't know. But if an adult was charged multiple times for the same crime, their charges can be increased to felonies.
These are adults and juveniles repeating these crimes. Despite that, trends show the number of stolen cars per month is declining.
Gramaglia said June was our highest, but it was a steady downfall going into July and August.