Car thefts skyrocketed in the first half of 2023: study
A recent study revealed a drastic rise in car thefts in the U.S. during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
The study, titled “Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2023 Update” and published by the Council on Criminal Justice, found there were about one-third "more motor vehicle thefts from January through June 2023 compared to the first half of 2022.” The authors of the study said the findings are based on “monthly crime rates for 10 violent, property, and drug offenses in 37 American cities.”
Other findings in the study included a 3.6 percent decrease in robberies and a 9.4 percent decrease in homicides in the 30 cities “providing homicide data” in the first half of the year in 2023 versus 2022. However, the homicide rate is still much higher than it was in 2019, according to the study.
“There were 24% more homicides during the first half of 2023 than during the first half of 2019 in the study cities,” according to the study.