Police Chief On Stolen Cars In Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley spoke with News 9 this morning to talk about a viral TikTok challenge to steal cars.

“It's something to do with the electronic chip that's on the key in the way that communicates with the vehicle. And for some reason, then the key is in Hyundai's, it's a little bit easier to steal those vehicles,” Gourley said.

Some cars are more popular to steal than others. According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, there were almost 2000 vehicles stolen in 2023, the most popular type being Chevrolet's, with at least 360 stolen this year, followed by Fords, Hondas, Nissans and Dodge vehicles.

“I think it just depends on the market. For the thieves, the market for the parts, you think about Chevy's especially, you know, they don't change a lot each year. So if you steal an older Chevy, sometimes those parts will mix and match on some newer ones too,” Gourley said.

The biggest tip Gourley has is to not leave your keys in your car.

“The majority of these, the keys are in the vehicle,” Gourley said. “They're either left laying in a console or left in the ignition, if it's an older vehicle, those kinds of things. And so that could prevent a lot of auto thefts, if we would just lock our vehicles up and take the keys with us.”

There are other things a car owner can do to protect their belongings.

“The biggest thing is: park in well lit areas, park close to where it's entrance and exit. Don't leave anything in your vehicle of any value,” Gourley said.

He also recommends steering wheel locks or alarm systems with kill switches to deter thieves.

“Most of the time, they want an easy target,” Gourley said. “And in some instances, it's just unavoidable. You can do everything right, but if you have a vehicle that is something that users really want, sometimes they're gonna get it.”

The Oklahoma City Police Department is progressing in their ability to track down stolen cars, Gourley says.

“We have a very robust program through our analysts and through our cameras that we have positioned around the city to try and find these,” Gourley said. “We're finding a lot more of these stolen cars now because of the cameras and the license plate readers in the vehicles. And so you're much more likely to get a vehicle back these days than you were several years ago.”