MPD says minors made up a third of auto theft arrests in 2023
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - As the pressure mounts to fix the juvenile crime crisis in the Bluff City, the Memphis Police Department said it’s dealing with repeat juvenile offenders with multiple felonies.
Police say about a third of all suspects arrested for auto theft in 2023 were minors.
“If we go back to 2023, we made over 1,500 arrests for auto thefts, so that’s about four people per day. Out of that 1,500 arrests, just under 500 more juveniles were under the age of 18,” said Memphis Assistant Police Chief Don Crowe.
We’re now 11 days into the new year and Crowe says Memphis is still averaging about four auto theft arrests per day.
You’ll remember this month, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old boy were arrested on nearly two dozen charges, including carjacking and aggravated robbery.
“I truly believe with every auto suspect we arrest, we have prevented additional crimes, I think that they use the stolen cars to go on a crime spree,” said Crowe.
MPD said the number of juveniles being arrested is steady, however, the amount of crimes they’re committing in one spree has increased.
For 2024, Memphis police say in order to tackle the juvenile crime crisis, a multi-faceted approach is needed, including the juvenile court system, civic groups, and government agencies that can provide juveniles with wrap-around resources.
“We participate with Shelby County government and Memphis Shelby County Education Association to have diversion programs for very young juveniles,”' said Crowe. “So rather than getting them into the juvenile court system, we steer them towards a diversion program that’s for the 12 or 13-year-old before they get involved in serious crimes.”
Assistant Police Chief Crowe said enforcing the plan takes getting parents involved.
“The parents really have to hold their children accountable and not let them escalate into crime,” said Crowe.
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