Cambridge Police handing out free carlocks to Hyundai, Kia owners

CAMBRIDGE, Md –  The Cambridge Police Department is announcing they are giving away 50 car locks for owners of certain Hyundai and Kia models after a rise in vehicle thefts in the City.

Police Chief Justin Todd tells 47ABC they have seen 51 thefts so far in 2023 compared to just 20 last year, with many of the incidents involving juvenile suspects.

Todd tells 47ABC that when they saw those numbers they realized they had to take proactive action to prevent more thefts and the crimes that often follow when a vehicle is stolen.

“With it being that easy to steal, sometimes victims of the thefts don’t just have the means to protect their property when they go in their house or they go into a store,  so, therefore, we thought the anti-theft device may be a way that we could at least help alleviate of some more victims of crime,” he said adding “We’ve had, has a couple of incidences where people were assaulted in the process of the car being stolen, one was attempted carjacking where a subject was asleep inside, we’ve had several different incidences where they’ve actually been stolen from Cambridge and made it to Delaware or vice versa, arrests have been made in each of those incidences, and they all involve juveniles.”

Todd tells 47ABC that locks will be available to drivers of those makes and models with a valid ID and proof of residence within Cambridge.

He tells 47ABC the move is an example of the Community Oriented Policing his department is committed to enforcing.

“If it saves 50 people from getting their cars broken into and it allows them to sleep a little better at night because they own the Honda or Kia, it’s well worth the money, and that’s what their police department’s here for,” he said.