ATLANTA — Police are taking action after car thefts at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have more than tripled from last year to this year.
According to data from the Atlanta Police Department's crime data, there have been at least 311 motor vehicle thefts this year to date in the airport area. Last year, there were only 95 motor vehicle thefts in 2023, data showed.
11Alive's Rarione Maniece spoke with APD Airport Commander Maj. Kelly Collier about the recent thefts following a news conference about Thanksgiving travel at the airport on Tuesday. He blamed the uptick in thefts on the manufacturing of cars.
"It's the easy access to programmers where suspects can program key fobs to vehicles, and that has gotten us here where we are," Maj. Collier said. "We are taking steps to prevent this. As I stated earlier, it's more of a manufacturing issue. It's extremely easy to steal a car these days."
Collier stated that during the Thanksgiving travel holiday, more officers will be on patrol and on foot, monitoring cars and cameras.
"We have made a lot of changes to how we operate. We have adjusted to this new way of stealing cars, so we will be ready and bring them to the bar of justice," Collier added.
He added that the officers are testing anti-theft technology and other ways to mitigate the thefts. So far, Collier said APD has made several arrests but did not say how many people were arrested.
"It's frustrating. It shouldn't be that easy to steal a $42,000 to $150,000 vehicle. It just shouldn't be that easy to steal that type of car," Collier said on Tuesday.
11Alive has reached out to the Atlanta Police Department for more information on the thefts and more about the incidents.
