Car theft rates drop 50% in Syracuse, police credit ‘good police work’

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Syracuse Police Department is reporting a dramatic drop in car thefts — down more than 50% compared to this time last year, according to the latest COMPSTAT data.

Car thefts in Syracuse dropped 51.5% from January to June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to SPD’s latest COMPSTAT data. © 2025 Maria Wainscott

The department says the decrease is the result of targeted strategies launched last year, many of them designed to curb a sharp spike in thefts in 2024 driven by a social media trend called the “Kia Boys.” The videos went viral on TikTok, showing young people how to hotwire certain models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles using USB cords.

“That created a huge spike in stolen vehicles across the city, especially in the university neighborhood,” said Kieran Coffey, public information officer for SPD. “We were very proactive in combating that. We issued over 1,000 steering wheel locks over a three-day period.”

SPD partnered with Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety and held a high-profile distribution event at Destiny USA, where hundreds of residents — especially Kia and Hyundai owners — received free steering wheel locks.

But physical deterrents were just the start. SPD also ramped up digital outreach and handed out safety flyers reminding people to be vigilant with their vehicles.

“We handed out different flyers and pamphlets across the city just to let people know — keep your car in a well-lit area, always keep doors and windows locked,” Coffey said. “And don’t keep anything in your vehicle that you wouldn’t want someone to see or steal.”

SPD says officers have increased patrol efforts in response to last year’s spike in car thefts. © 2025 Maria Wainscott

SPD also introduced a patrol strategy called Koper Curve, designed to improve trust, visibility and early crime prevention in neighborhoods.

“It’s a strategy where officers get out of their cars for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and walk the areas they patrol,” Coffey explained. “They talk to residents, ask about safety concerns. Stolen vehicles were a big issue last year, so those conversations helped officers understand what people were seeing — and what needed to change.”

SPD believes that real-time community input is key to staying ahead of crime trends.

“We’re always monitoring social media trends,” Coffey said. “There was a second wave of car thefts targeting key fobs — people were mirroring signals from Toyota, Lexus and Nissan key fobs. We were able to identify that quickly, notify manufacturers and get ahead of it.”

Although the drop is significant, the issue hasn’t disappeared. NCC News received messages from several community members who said they or someone they know had still been affected by car theft — even in recent months.

SPD says efforts like neighborhood patrols, steering wheel lock giveaways, and targeted outreach are behind the drop in car thefts this year. © 2025 Maria Wainscott

SPD says it’s aware of those reports — and that work is far from over.

“I’ll never say the work is done,” Coffey said. “I wish it was 75%. Fifty percent is fantastic. But we want to keep improving.”

Coffey added that more steering wheel locks are on the way, and the department will announce on social media when the next round of distribution events is scheduled.

Coffey credited officers’ initiative, flexibility and the power of partnerships as the main drivers behind the decline.

“As chief would say — it’s good police work,” he said.

Residents can view the full breakdown of crime statistics by district and category in SPD’s weekly COMPSTAT reports, available on the department’s website.