What areas in Houston are cars mostly broken into? HPD gives the latest statistics on crime
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is seeing a downward trend regarding motor vehicle thefts across the city. In its latest update to the City Council last week, the agency said its Auto Theft Division has been taking proactive measures to fight against this type of crime.
On Wednesday, HPD patrol officers found a pair of suspected car thieves while conducting a proactive auto theft investigation in a bank parking lot in Jacinto City. The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. near Interstate 10 and Mercury Drive.
"We had members from multiple crime suppression teams and they located a vehicle with suspects who appeared to be doing some pre-theft behavior. So they were scouting. The teams followed. We had undercover officers monitoring, conducting surveillance, waiting to see what they would do," Asst. Chief Megan Howard said.
The confrontation led to a nearly 30-mile police chase with one suspect, who was eventually arrested in a neighbor's yard. The other fled on foot after HPD shot at his vehicle, claiming he drove towards officers with a shotgun.
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The location where Wednesday's incident originated was not among the top hot spots for car thefts, although there have been 35 reports so far in the area in 2024.
According to a 13 Investigates analysis of crime data, the top hot spot for motor vehicle thefts is zip code 77036, which includes Chinatown and Sharpstown. From January to June of this year, the area has seen 373 cases.
It is also part of District J, which Cmdr. Dana Hitzman said is the only district that saw an increase in car thefts.
Zip code 77032, which includes Bush Airport, is the second-highest hot spot, with 272 cases. The third hot spot, with 233 reports, is 77092, in the Garden Oaks neighborhood.
READ MORE: Warrants issued for 6 members of auto theft ring hitting Houston airport parking garages
HPD's latest monthly operational summary shows there were 8,876 cases in the first six months of 2024. That's a 13% decrease when compared to the same time frame in 2023, which saw a total of 10,199 cases.
Last Tuesday, Hitzman told the Houston City Council that the Auto Theft Division has been taking proactive steps to reduce these incidents, such as educating patrol officers on the latest trends and training them on what to look out for.
She believes it's one of the reasons why HPD is seeing a decline in the number of auto theft reports.
One example is a social media challenge that targeted certain Hyundai and Kia models due to a security vulnerability that allowed thieves to rip apart the steering column and use a USB cord to start the car. Hitzman said it drove up motor vehicle thefts in the city. But after the car companies upgraded their technology, she said officials saw a decline.
RELATED: Kia, Hyundai owners may soon file claim in $145M car theft class action lawsuit settlement
However, one of the biggest contributors investigators see with motor vehicle thefts is owner negligence.
"Lock(ing) your car is probably the number one piece of advice that we can give. A lot of people leave their cars unlocked. A lot of people leave the key fobs in their cars," Hitzman said.
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