Chicago Sun-Times pleads for more surveillance

Quick tracking by automakers could reduce carjackings

And they have a point:

Carjackings in Chicago rose 38% from 2020 to 2021, as the city saw more than 1,800 carjackings in 2021. In all of Cook County, there were about 2,100 carjackings in 2021.

Modern autos contain tracking devices but companies insist on formalities, even warrants.

Some automakers won’t turn on a location device remotely if a theft victim has not subscribed to the automaker’s tracking service. Some accept calls from police only on weekdays or during certain hours. Others want car owners to be on the phone with police to request a tracking…. Still other automakers require a time-consuming, judge-approved search warrant or a subpoena.

Why not fix that?

The technology is there. The auto companies just need a nudge to do it. And they should do it in a way so that no one — auto companies nor police — can track or keep records of people’s movements later as they go about their daily lives.

Oh. There's the rub.

We're at a crossroads here.