Illinois Secretary of State gives $21 million to law enforcement agencies to help combat carjackings, vehicle thefts

(The Heart Sq.) – The Illinois Secretary of State is distributing thousands and thousands of {dollars} to regulation enforcement companies and job forces in Illinois in an effort to fight carjackings and automotive thefts.

Greater than 1,600 armed carjackings have been reported in Chicago final yr, and though the issue is much less extreme downstate, carjackings have been occurring in cities like Peoria and Champaign.

Greater than half of the $21 million in funding might be going to Illinois State Police and the Chicago Police Division as the town offers with a number of the highest numbers of carjackings seen in not less than a technology.

“This grant will enable the Illinois State Police to focus extra assets on the prevention and the investigative follow-up for car thefts, hijackings and different associated violent crimes,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly mentioned.

Different grants are going to the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Process Pressure, which is led by Secretary of State police ($3.4 million); the Metro East Auto Theft Process Pressure ($2.5 million); the Better Peoria Auto Crimes Process Pressure ($2.1 million); and the Tri-County Auto Theft Process Pressure ($1.8 million).

The funding is earmarked to complement police budgets for license plate readers, monitoring units, GPS software program and different expertise to seek out carjackers.

The grant cash comes from a $1 annual auto insurance coverage coverage evaluation managed by the secretary of state’s workplace.

Funds might be distributed over the following few weeks. The police companies can apply to resume the grants for the following three years.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias revealed Thursday that he was a carjacking sufferer when he was in highschool.

“I’ll let you know this occurred 1 / 4 century in the past, and I nonetheless go away not less than a automotive size once I cease at a cease mild or a cease signal,” Giannoulias mentioned.