Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced Monday that the city would escalate its efforts to curb car thefts by handing out more steering wheel locks, removing bureaucratic obstacles for victims to retrieve their stolen vehicles, and installing license plate readers in areas with high numbers of reported vehicle thefts, as part of a raft of new proposals.

While homicides and carjackings are down this year in Baltimore City, car thefts are up 229%, with a particular emphasis on Kia and Hyundai cars, which make up 68% of reported stolen cars. About 9,300 cars have been stolen in the city this year as of Oct. 28, up from 2,832 over the same period last year, according to the Baltimore Police Department.

“We must tackle this issue in line with national best practices and insight from other cities that have been grappling with this broader trend,” Scott said during a news conference at the Pulaski Highway city impound lot with Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley and officials from the city Department of Transportation.

“I’ve tasked members of my administration with developing and carrying out a multipronged strategy designed to mobilize every tool in our toolbox to tackle this issue,” Scott said.

Baltimore Police will hand out 2,000 anti-theft steering wheel locks, with two upcoming giveaway events and at area police precincts, will install more license plate readers, use digital tracking software to monitor stolen cars, and are working with Kia and Hyundai to hold clinics for upgrading cars with the proper anti-theft software, Worley said.

The steering wheel lock giveaways will happen Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northwood Elementary School, and Nov. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hollinswood Shopping Center. Drivers must own a Kia or Hyundai, provide a valid driver’s license, and be a Baltimore resident.

Reports of auto thefts committed by people under age 18 have risen 166% this calendar year as of Wednesday, according to Scott.

“We know that there is something deeper going on when we see these types of spikes, and we’re committed to continuing to address the root cause of these issues and show that young people have the opportunities that they need, the support that they need at home, to encourage them to choose to do the right thing,” he said.

“And yes, consequences … that understand their specific needs, when they do, in fact, do the wrong thing. But we cannot continue to have this conversation, when we’re arresting the same young people over and over and over again.”

Around 692 people have been arrested this year for suspected car theft, with 250 being people under the age of 18, Scott said.

Around 30 of those juvenile suspects are repeat offenders, who have been arrested more than once for suspected auto theft. Scott reiterated his previous call to reform the juvenile justice system after Khaleel James, 16, died last week from a gunshot wound. Officials confirmed that police previously arrested James for attempting to carjack a Baltimore police detective.

A lack of theft immobilizers in 2011-2022 model Kia and Hyundai cars has driven a surge in car thefts, with videos on social media showing would-be thieves how to steal such cars, step by step. The city filed a federal lawsuit against both car manufacturers in May.

The number of car thefts committed in Baltimore County increased 189% in the last year, with 3,603 vehicles reported stolen between Jan. 1 and Oct. 29, compared with 1,249 vehicles stolen during that time last year, according to Baltimore County police spokesperson Joy Stewart.

Carjackings in Baltimore County have remained steady. There were 80 such incidents reported at this point in 2022 and in 2023 so far.