What's Happening To This Country of OURS???

 Chicago carjackings more than double in January, up 180% over last year; police say most offenders are teens

'We’re having 12-year-olds commit these acts now,' a police official said

Stephanie Pagones | Fox News  reporting

Chicago saw more than 180% more carjackings in January than during the same month in 2020 -- and police believe most of the offenses are being committed by young adults and teenagers, some of whom are currently out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Carjackings rose about 135% last year to 1,415 and continue at a high pace this year, police statistics show. Chicago Police Department (CPD) recorded 218 carjackings in January 2021 -- a staggering spike from the 77 reported during the same time last year, authorities told Fox News late Monday.

The startling pattern has grown to be cause for concern among police brass, who on Jan. 21 announced the creation of a team dedicated to finding those people responsible.

Officials said CPD arrest data show carjackers are most often between the ages of 15 and 20, but arrest records show they are sometimes even younger.

"We’re having 12-year-olds commit these acts now," Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said, "and we gotta do something together as a city to stop these actions."

CPD's new carjacking team consists of 40 police officers and four sergeants assigned to work across CPD’s five detective bureaus, the department said. But the program extends beyond just manpower to include public programs and collaboration with community groups and local, state and federal partners.

"This idea of our officers confronting a 13- and 12-year-old with a gun and the most unthinkable tragedy happens is one of our concerns, but our primary concern, I want to make this clear, is for the victim," Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said. "And so these consequences, whether you’re young or old, have to be significant in order to discourage this behavior."

Deenihan said pandemic-driven changes, such as civil unrest and the lack of fully-functioning school and court systems have contributed to the surge. He noted the lack of fear on the part of the carjackers, pointing to one involving a 12-year-old that occurred on Jan. 15, when a woman was parking her car in a garage.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...