carjack-city/
DETROIT (AP) - When they pull up to a gas station these days, Detroitdrivers are looking beyond the price per gallon at a far more threateningconcern: carjackers.The armed auto thieves have become so common here that parts of the bankruptmetropolis are referred to as "Carjack City," and many motorists feargetting 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 hasformed a special police team to go after suspects. Convicted carjackers willeven get their faces and prison sentences plastered onto billboards."You need to catch these people and make a good example of them," said MousaBazzi, who owns a Mobil station in a semi-desolate neighborhood borderingDetroit's east riverfront. He keeps his business well-lit and continuallyhas two to four employees inside to ensure "there's always an extra hand ortwo" in case of trouble.Authorities blame many of the carjackings, ironically, on improvements invehicle security. Anti-theft equipment, GPS systems and advanced locks nowprevent 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, ofDetroit's auto-theft squad.Also contributing to the thefts is a strong demand for stolen wheels andtires, police said.Bazzi's station displays pale-green decals depicting a lighthouse - a signthat his business has joined the city's anti-carjacking effort. To be partof the program, stations must have security cameras, good lighting, be open24 hours and have clerks willing to help motorists and provide a phone foremergency calls."There is a waiting list," Sgt. Michael Woody said. "We have so many gasstations that want to become a lighthouse. You get better protection withthat big sticker in the window that tells criminals there is properequipment that will help police investigate these crimes."Detroit police reported 720 carjackings last year in the city of fewer than700,000 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 thethefts still exceed the carjackings in some comparably sized U.S. cities.Sharlonda Buckman, executive director of a Detroit nonprofit, was at a gasstation on an October morning when she ran inside for aspirin. Back insideher SUV, she was just closing the door when she saw a carjacker shove hisgun inside.She screamed and jumped out of the vehicle. The carjacker jumped in anddrove off. Three other customers gave chase in their vehicles. One caught upto 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'llcall somebody to meet me."It's difficult to know how Detroit's carjackings rank nationally becausemany police agencies lump carjackings with all armed robberies in annualreports to the FBI.Newark, New Jersey, with a population of 280,000, had 382 carjackings lastyear, 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 400carjackings over three years from 2011 through 2013. El Paso, a rapidlygrowing western Texas city of 670,000, reported only 15 carjackings lastyear and 18 in 2012.Through May 19, Detroit has recorded 191 carjackings in 2014, including theFeb. 24 shooting death of CVS security guard Courtney Meeks, who rushedtoward a car being taken by three men, and the Feb. 4 slaying of DonaldBradshaw, a 68-year-old man who was beaten to death with a tire iron afterhe was carjacked at an intersection.Prosecutors, the FBI and Detroit police recently announced a campaign tospread the word about stiffer federal penalties for carjacking, which caninclude the death penalty if someone is killed. A similar campaign thatincludes billboards with photos of convicted carjackers started last summerin Newark.Detroit police have also announced a partnership with General Motors' OnStarroadside assistance service to track down stolen vehicles and promoterewards tied to an anonymous tip line.To avoid becoming a victim, security guard Greg Champion wears a handgun onhis hip whenever he's pumping gas."I don't want to surprise you," Champion said. "I want you to know I'marmed, and I want you to know I can defend myself, and I want you to gosomewhere else."Christine Reed takes the opposite approach. The 27-year-old mother of twowon't stop for gas in Detroit. She lives north of the city in Warren andworks four days a week cleaning offices downtown.If she's in a bad section of town, Reed said, she passes through red lightsbecause 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 cityattractive to new residents and businesses.That's going to take more and better resources, said Wayne County ProsecutorKym Worthy, who complains that she has only a few assistants to trycarjackings."When nobody has any resources . all we can be is reactive," she said.
By Epictetus
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