Feliz asks about grand larceny auto increase vs pre-pandemic

All right, so I know my colleagues have questions, so I'll ask one more line of questions, and then I'll pass it on to my colleagues.

So another area of crime that seems to require attention is the grand larceny involving a vehicle.

They have more than doubled compared to the pre-COVID years, 2019.

Specifically, in 2019, year to date, we had...

3,623.

This year we've had 8,524.

That's an increase of over approximately 140%.

Grand loss involving a vehicle.

What factors have led to this increase?

So when we look at grand larceny auto, just this year we're actually down 12.8% and three out of the five boroughs are down.

Grand larcenies are down in the Bronx 29.2% and the Bronx North 26.8%.

So when we look at the Bronx for grand larceny, I'll use this as an example, the Bronx,

has many unique challenges.

It's very close to New Jersey, it's very close to Westchester, and due to that proximity, many stolen vehicles occur outside New York City.

Since 2025, approximately 422 Bronx Grand Largenautos have been recovered outside New York City, and 33% of citywide Grand Largenautos have been recovered in the Bronx.

So it's all about...

Coordination.

We're using our new borough-based order law enforcement teams.

They patrol, they deploy.

They're looking at the data, they're looking at precision, what makes and what models, and if there's any clusters, they're working with the manufacturers, and it shows.

In 2026, Operation Pit Crew was a vehicle takedown.

16 people were charged with 971 counts.

These defendants stole more than $1 million in auto parts, victimizing 252 hard workers.

So the work shows the crime is trending in the right direction, and they're out there doing the job they need to do.

Like I said, auto theft is a very complex crime.