Franklin County officials are working on a Juvenile Automotive Theft Prevention Program, which will aim to deter adolescents from automotive theft with a 20-week educational curriculum. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
There have been over 80 motor vehicle theft crimes in the off-campus area since September, according to Ohio State’s Community Crime Map.
Though Ohio State’s Undergraduate Student Government has made efforts to combat the problem by distributing anti-theft steering wheel locks, officials in Franklin County are now getting involved to help solve the issue. Judge George W. Leach of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas said the ongoing theft in the off-campus area and beyond led to the formation of a new diversion program planned to be piloted in January 2024.
The program, whose working title is the Juvenile Automotive Theft Prevention Program, will aim to deter adolescents from automotive theft with a 20-week educational curriculum, Leach said.
“Now the group [committing automotive crimes] is getting younger along the spectrum as to occupants in the car,” Leach said. “So, I would imagine that if [there’s] no intervention, they’re definitively going to increase and graduate into that older kid goal. They’ll keep going in that process and keep attending and getting into more cars.”
Leach said he believes the program will help adolescents understand the gravity of what they’re doing as he’s seen many young people say the theft often happens because of the thrill of having a car and social media buzz.
“The old car theft stories that we know about are more chop shop — we’re taking this car because we are going to be able to turn this car into some cash later,” Leach said. “That’s not what the objective is here, and the objective is just the joyride. It’s just to get this thing on TikTok and to get my social media buzz out of it.”
Leach said the adolescents committing the crimes often aren’t alone, and the program is looking to engage those who are typically passengers to stop them from committing the crime in the future. JATPP will target the first-time offenders or the younger crowd in the back seat, trying to reach them before they commit further crimes.
Those in the program will also be exposed to what the future can hold when abstaining from crime, Leach said. It will teach 10 to 20 kids at a time, and after one interaction with law enforcement, juveniles will be assessed and potentially opted into the program.
Though this program is part of a long-term solution for lowering automotive theft, in the short term, university spokesperson Dan Hedman recommends students prevent theft by using an anti-theft steering wheel lock, securing the vehicle, parking in well-lit areas and avoiding leaving keys or other valuables inside the vehicle.
