A rash of Kia and Hyundai car thefts is bogging down the Atlanta Police Department and concerning council members who say manufacturers should be held accountable for the problem.
Car thieves are targeting cars from the two auto giants nationwide related to a missing anti-theft device, which has been exploited on social media, APD officials said last week.
There has been an 830% increase in auto thefts involving Kias and Hyundais this year compared to last year, our colleague Jozsef Papp reported.
Atlanta City Council members voiced concern during a public safety committee meeting about the increased cost has the city incurred from responding to the high spike in car jackings.
Nearly a dozen cities across the country have signed onto lawsuits suing the Korean automakers for failing to install the anti-theft device in millions of their vehicles.
Councilman Dustin Hillis, chairman of the public safety committee, said: “My family has a Kia — it’s not a newer model — and it’s been over a year and still no fix,” he said. “Glad they’re giving a little $50 piece of equipment to the city the handout, but that is going to address the damages we’ve already incurred.”
Kia and Hyundai’s large presence in Georgia could complicate the question of whether or not Atlanta officials decide to take legal action against the automakers.
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Looming sentencing: Former City Councilman Antonio Brown is scheduled to be sentenced this week on a single count of bank fraud.
The charges were filed against Brown when he sat on council and involved allegations of Brown purportedly opening credit cards and taking out automobile loans, spending thousands and then falsely claiming his identity was stolen.
Brown plead guilty in January to one fraud charge in exchange for six other charges being dropped. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend he serve 18 months on probation, with the first eight on house arrest.
A judge will make the final decision.
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Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
Clock ticking on DNC decision: Atlanta officials are still awaiting a decision from the White House on whether or not the city has clinched the coveted title of hosting the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
The AJC previously reported that at this stage in the last three convention bidding wars, Democrats had already selected their host city. (Charlotte was tapped on Feb. 1, 2011; Philadelphia on Feb. 12, 2015; and Milwaukee on March 11, 2019.)
Atlanta City Council already took steps to prepare for a decision by passing a resolution that allows the mayor to enter into agreements and contracts with convention organizers — Choose Atlanta 2024, the nonprofit host committee, and the Democratic National Convention Committee — if Atlanta is selected to hold the massive political showcase.
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Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
New development director: Former Congressman and Atlanta City Council member Kwanza Hall has been appointed to the Development Authority of Fulton County’s Board of Directors. Hall will work with business leaders, community stakeholders and elected officials to prioritize equitable and progressive economic development in development authority projects.
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Hat tip: Our friends at the Saporta Report reported that Christmas gifts given by the Atlanta Police Foundation to the public safety training center’s advisory committee violated ethics rules.
In a letter dated March 1, Ethics Officer Jabu M. Sengova said that committee members didn’t intentionally violate ethics rules by accepting the gifts valued at $25, but members should avoid situations that may “call into question the objectivity of the committee’s collective work.”
It’s unclear the fate of the committee after Mayor Andre Dickens announced his new stakeholder initiative to collect more feedback from community leaders on the controversial project.
Send us tips and feedback at Wilborn.Nobles@ajc.com and Riley.Bunch@ajc.com.
