The Michigan Attorney General’s Office is expanding its auto insurance fraud task force to include stolen vehicles as thefts spike in Michigan, a move they hope will make it easier to dismantle theft rings across the state.
Vehicle thefts have surged in Michigan; they have gone up 48.4% in the past five years and increased 4.1% alone from 2022 to 2023, according to the AG’s office.
The fraud unit has partnered with the Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Auto-Theft Recovery Team and has a dedicated prosecutor embedded within the team to target high-level auto theft rings.
“With the rise of auto thefts across our communities, expanding the Auto Fraud Task Force is an important step to strengthen our fight against both vehicle theft and insurance fraud, crimes that impact far too many Michigan residents each year,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “Through this new structure, we are enhancing our efforts to dismantle these sophisticated, organized auto crime enterprises across our state.”
Law enforcement has blamed organized gangs targeting vehicles, technological advances that help thieves remotely unlock or start cars and trends in the criminal justice system of imposing less stringent punishment on nonviolent offenders for the jump in auto thefts.
Nationally, there were more than 1 million vehicles stolen in 2023, an all-time high, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which ranked Michigan 15th in the nation for total thefts in 2023, the most recent data available.
The Michigan statistics are driven in large part by thefts in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, where some areas experienced massive increases from 2019 to 2023, though police in some Metro Detroit communities said thefts dropped in 2024 from the previous year.
Oakland County experienced a 140% increase in stolen vehicles from 2019 to 2023, according to Michigan State Police data, while there was a 99% spike in Macomb County, and a 50% rise in Wayne County.
Police have put out reminders to residents to not leave their car doors unlocked, and to bring any valuables inside.