DETROIT (AP) — When they pull up to a gas station these
days, Detroit drivers are looking beyond the price per gallon at a far
more threatening concern: carjackers.
The armed auto thieves have
become so common here that parts of the bankrupt metropolis are referred
to as "Carjack City," and many motorists fear getting out of their
vehicles even for a few moments to fill a tank.
So gas stations
are taking steps to protect customers, and the city has formed a special
police team to go after suspects. Convicted carjackers will even get
their faces and prison sentences plastered onto billboards.
"You
need to catch these people and make a good example of them," said Mousa
Bazzi, who owns a Mobil station in a semi-desolate neighborhood
bordering Detroit’s east riverfront. He keeps his business well-lit and
continually has two to four employees inside to ensure "there’s always
an extra hand or two" in case of trouble.
Authorities blame many
of the carjackings, ironically, on improvements in vehicle security.
Anti-theft equipment, GPS systems and advanced locks now prevent many
vehicles from being driven without a key in the ignition.
That
makes it difficult or impossible for thieves to steal parked cars,
leading them to target vehicles that are occupied, said Jonathan
Parnell, of Detroit’s auto-theft squad.
Also contributing to the thefts is a strong demand for stolen wheels and tires, police said.
Bazzi’s
station displays pale-green decals depicting a lighthouse — a sign that
his business has joined the city’s anti-carjacking effort. To be part
of the program, stations must have security cameras, good lighting, be
open 24 hours and have clerks willing to help motorists and provide a
phone for emergency calls.
"There is a waiting list," Sgt. Michael
Woody said. "We have so many gas stations that want to become a
lighthouse. You get better protection with that big sticker in the
window that tells criminals there is proper equipment that will help
police investigate these crimes."
Detroit police reported 720
carjackings last year in the city of fewer than 700,000 people. That’s
down from nearly 850 in 2011 and 1,231 in 2008.
The decline may
partly be due to Detroit’s freefalling population, but the thefts still
exceed the carjackings in some comparably sized U.S. cities.
Sharlonda
Buckman, executive director of a Detroit nonprofit, was at a gas
station on an October morning when she ran inside for aspirin. Back
inside her SUV, she was just closing the door when she saw a carjacker
shove his gun inside.
She screamed and jumped out of the vehicle.
The carjacker jumped in and drove off. Three other customers gave chase
in their vehicles. One caught up to the SUV and got shot in the leg by
the carjacker, who was later arrested.
Now, Buckman said, she tries not to pump gas at all.
"If the night catches me, I won’t pump gas in the city," she said. "Or I’ll call somebody
to meet me."
It’s
difficult to know how Detroit’s carjackings rank nationally because
many police agencies lump carjackings with all armed robberies in annual
reports to the FBI.
Newark, New Jersey, with a population of
280,000, had 382 carjackings last year, giving it a per capita rate that
is actually higher than Detroit’s. Memphis, Tennessee, with a
population of 655,000, had slightly more than 400 carjackings over three
years from 2011 through 2013. El Paso, a rapidly growing western Texas
city of 670,000, reported only 15 carjackings last year and 18 in 2012.
Through
May 19, Detroit has recorded 191 carjackings in 2014, including the
Feb. 24 shooting death of CVS security guard Courtney Meeks, who rushed
toward a car being taken by three men, and the Feb. 4 slaying of Donald
Bradshaw, a 68-year-old man who was beaten to death with a tire iron
after he was carjacked at an intersection.
Prosecutors, the FBI
and Detroit police recently announced a campaign to spread the word
about stiffer federal penalties for carjacking, which can include the
death penalty if someone is killed. A similar campaign that includes
billboards with photos of convicted carjackers started last summer in
Newark.
Detroit police have also announced a partnership with
General Motors’ OnStar roadside assistance service to track down stolen
vehicles and promote rewards tied to an anonymous tip line.
To avoid becoming a victim, security guard Greg Champion wears a handgun on his hip whenever he’s pumping
gas.
"I
don’t want to surprise you," Champion said. "I want you to know I’m
armed, and I want you to know I can defend myself, and I want you to go
somewhere else."
Christine Reed takes the opposite approach. The
27-year-old mother of two won’t stop for gas in Detroit. She lives north
of the city in Warren and works four days a week cleaning offices
downtown.
If she’s in a bad section of town, Reed said, she passes through red lights because it’s tougher to
carjack a moving target.
"It’s not a safe place anymore," Reed said. "It’s dangerous."
The
state-appointed emergency manager tasked with restructuring Detroit’s
$18 billion in debt has said crime needs to be reduced to make the city
attractive to new residents and businesses.
That’s going to take
more and better resources, said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who
complains that she has only a few assistants to try carjackings.
"When nobody has any resources … all we can be is reactive," she said.