Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Police warn of growing use of inexpensive key‑fob programmers in vehicle thefts; clearance rate remains low
Summary
Milwaukee police briefed the committee on declining auto-theft totals from the 2021 peak but warned of a new trend: inexpensive key‑fob programming devices available online that allow thieves to start and steal many modern vehicles. The department reported a roughly 6% clearance rate on vehicle thefts and urged residents to take deterrent steps.
Milwaukee police told the Public Safety & Health Committee that auto thefts have declined from a 2021 peak but remain an active public-safety problem, and that a new trend is complicating investigations: inexpensive key‑fob programming devices sold online that enable thieves to reprogram vehicle keys.
Inspector Paul Lau of the Criminal Investigation Bureau described key‑fob programmers such as…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
