DC officials aim to deter rising car thefts and carjackings with AirTags and dash cameras

Government and police in the nation’s capital are handing out tracking devices and dashboard cameras to local drivers to help stem rising crime rates. The cameras were free for any District of Columbia resident who drives for a rideshare company, like Uber, Lyft, or Alto—or for a food delivery service, like DoorDash. The handout is part of a multi-pronged anti-crime offensive launched by the Metropolitan Police Department and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s government. “Having a camera here... it may not prevent someone from grabbing me or doing something wrong, but at least we'll have a recording of it,” said Faenita Dilworth, an Uber driver, saying every resident in Washington D.C. needs to do their part to “diminish the crime in this city.” Violent crimes, particularly car theft, have risen sharply, and the deputy mayor for public safety, Lyndsey Appiah, flatly stated before the House Judiciary Committee last October that the city is in the midst of a crime crisis. As of November 14, car theft is up 98% and carjackings have more than doubled up to 104%. Recent carjacking victims include a congressman and a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates. “When there’s the presence of video footage, the likelihood of a perpetrator of a crime, say, a carjacking, a vehicle theft, a break-in, the likelihood of that case being closed goes up exponentially. And the likelihood of a prosecution being successful goes up exponentially as well,” said Salah Czapary, head of the city's Department of Nightlife and Culture. Earlier in November, a line of cars near Nationals Park, the city's pro baseball stadium, waited their turn for a police officer to install the tracker—literally just an Apple AirTag—and show them how to use it. Police did not promise that they would immediately be able to recover a stolen car intact. But police said the tracker information would help police trace the route of the car thieves and possibly pull security camera footage from along that route to aid in an eventual arrest and court case. The AirTag trackers were available to any resident who lives in one of several designated auto theft hot zones. This article was provided by The Associated Press.