sheriff’s office provides anti-carjacking information at chicago auto show

In an ongoing effort to combat carjacking in the Chicago region, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand at this year’s Chicago Auto Show to help drivers instantly sign an online consent form to help law enforcement recover their vehicles if they are unlawfully taken.

The Sheriff’s Office online consent form will be available at a community policing booth hosted alongside the Chicago Police Department.

Most vehicles manufactured since 2015 have tracking capability but getting the information in a timely manner to catch carjackers often requires the owner’s consent at a time they are likely distraught from the incident or injured. Signing the Office’s consent form allows law enforcement to ask the auto manufacturer for the vehicle’s location information only if the car has been unlawfully taken. The Sheriff’s Office is not able to track a vehicle without it being unlawfully taken.

“Carjackings are terrifying residents across our county,” Sheriff Dart said. “The majority of carjackers use weapons to strike fear into their victims and then use the stolen vehicles to perpetuate more crime. Finding the vehicles quickly will not only help retrieve the vehicle, but it will prevent it from being used in additional violent crimes and increase the chances of putting the offenders behind bars.”

The consent form application is quick and easy to fill out and is available in English, Spanish, and Polish on the Sheriff’s Office website.

After completing the consent form, the Sheriff’s Office will automatically mail the owners free carjacking-deterrent decals. Owners are encouraged to display the decals on their vehicle’s front and back windows to show would-be offenders that the vehicles can be easily traced.

Cook County saw 1,831 reported carjackings in in 2022. That year was down 10 percent from 2021, but still up 23 percent from 2020.

The Auto Show booth is part of an ongoing effort by Sheriff Dart to raise awareness to the public about this crime and work toward long-term solutions to address it. Sheriff’s Police are active members of a regional carjacking taskforce, and the Office has been working to gather and share data and intelligence among law enforcement to increase recoveries and prosecutions.

Auto Show visitors can also learn more about employment opportunities with the Office. The Sheriff’s Office will have a booth for recruiting correctional officers and other positions with the agency. Interested individuals will be able to apply for positions onsite. For more information about employment with the Office, please visit https://www.cookcountysheriff.org/employment.