Michigan Cracks Down on High-Tech Vehicle Theft
MICHIGAN — New laws in Michigan are designed to combat the ongoing problem of auto theft, with a specific focus on high-tech devices used to steal vehicles. Elected officials, auto dealers, and law enforcement across Metro Detroit are hopeful the legislation will help curb the rising number of stolen vehicles in the state.
The new laws make it a crime to possess, use, or intend to use advanced technology like computers or similar devices, specifically targeting devices known as AutoProPADs. Lawmakers are attempting to keep pace with the evolving tactics of car thieves using technology to bypass traditional security measures.
These devices, authorized for legitimate use by locksmiths and dealerships to program replacement keys, are now being exploited by criminals to program key codes for unauthorized access, often within seconds. Push-button start vehicles are particularly vulnerable.
Sgt. Cameron Wright of the Macomb Auto Theft Squad describes how thieves use the devices:
Thieves take a port and plug it into the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic reader, go through the prompts in the device, program a blank key (which can be purchased online) and “start up your car and drive away many times, over and over again. They can start it every single time with a brand new key.”
Wright estimates that 70% to 80% of vehicle thefts in the area involve these devices. He noted the increasing target on high-end vehicles, some costing upwards of $100,000.
On its website, AutoProPAD acknowledged the theft problem. Sam Klemet, co-executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, highlighted the serious consequences.
“Vehicle thefts are not victimless crimes. … It goes much deeper than that.”
Klemet emphasizes the broad impact, including the inability of drivers to get to work or take their children to school, as well as potential links to more serious crimes like high-speed chases, shootings, or drug deals.
The legislation, introduced in 2023, was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in July. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel announced the laws during a news conference on Monday, attended by bipartisan state legislators who brought the issue forward.
The laws establish penalties for those who use the devices. Possession with the intent to steal a vehicle is a 5-year felony, while possession with the intent to steal more than one vehicle as part of a criminal organization carries a 10-year felony sentence.
State Representative Denise Mentzer, D-Mount Clemens, praised the laws as a “big step” toward protecting the community. State Senator Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, noted the impact on insurance costs.
Representative Alabas Farhat related one instance where over a dozen Ford F-150 Raptors had been stolen in his community. Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham reported over 21,000 vehicles stolen in Michigan in 2021 and over 25,000 in 2022, with an estimated 85% to 90% involving these devices if vehicles were manufactured after 2018.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports over 1 million vehicles stolen in the U.S. last year, a 25% increase from the previous years, leading to approximately $8 billion in losses nationwide each year.
“It’s crazy,” stated Troy Police Officer Joe Morgan, who works in a multi-jurisdictional special investigations unit. State legislators previously tried to pass similar laws about three years ago, but failed by one vote in the Senate. Morgan hopes to see Michigan require a license to possess an AutoProPAD, as 13 other states already do, for greater control. “Unfortunately, the thefts are killing us,” Morgan noted, relating a situation where a Monroe County dealership, in business for 35 years, lost its insurance due to the number of vehicle thefts.
