City report shows Friday is the busiest night for car thieves in Louisville, some caught on camera

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — City reports show more cars stolen on Friday than any other night of the week.

Homeowners in East Louisville told WDRB, nowadays, it doesn't matter what type of car you own. If it is unlocked, it's more than likely going to get stolen.

"There's no hiding from it anymore. It's everywhere," Paul Knopf, who remains frustrated with the amount of cars being stolen in Louisville, said.

Paul Knopf said his East Louisville neighborhood has become a prime target for car thieves.

"It's got to stop," Knopf said.

Not too long ago, someone stole his neighbor's Porsche out of the garage.

"It's it makes you feel unsettling. It's, it's sad," Knopf said. "We pay a lot of taxes. Certainly, living in this area and we expect more."

He said Glenview Springs, Bancroft, and Barbourmeade can't catch a break. And the city's crime map shows it goes far beyond that.

Car thefts happen in every end of the city with the most concentrated downtown and in the west and south ends of Louisville.

Several recent thefts have been caught on camera. Knopf said LMPD needs to do a sting operation or put more patrol officers throughout Louisville's neighborhoods.

"We know what's going on. It's just time to address and quit making excuses for it," Knopf said.

Last year, Louisville saw nearly 2,000 Kia's and Hyundai's stolen. It was part of a nationwide increase, as certain models were considered easy targets because of faulty ignition switches.

"We're bringing in stolen cars like you wouldn't believe," Lt. Armin White, LMPD's tow lot administrator, said.

They're packing the city's impound lot. This week, police told Metro Council it's so full, there's not enough space to bring in more cars; adding, the software update to fix the glitch isn't working.

"It's not fixing them. We've got got people five, six and seven time with stolen Hyundai's and Kia's," White said.

The head of Corporate Communications for Kia America said owners need to lock their cars to initiate the theft deterrent software.

"It's been a difficult thing for Kia, obviously, we're not law enforcement. We're a car company, but we've been trying to provide as much assistance as we can," James Bell, Kia America Head of Corporate Communications, said. "We've been doing work very closely with Louisville Police Department, and other law enforcement around the country, and we feel like we're making a good move on this."

Bell told WDRB News, 1.2 million Kia owners have upgraded their software nationwide. He said it's free and takes less than an hour to get done. The upgraded is not needed for push-to-start Kia's.

Police said thieves are also moving on to other models including Jeeps, Chryslers, and Dodge vehicles.

"It makes you feel unsettling. It's sad. None of us want to just be okay with this occurring right right outside of our doors, knowing people are walking around with guns and getting into our cars that are parked in the driveways," Knopf said.

LMPD started giving away free steering wheel locks to combat the problem.

It's also using flock cameras and license plate readers to try and find those stolen cars.

Knopf said he wants to see a harsher punishment for those thieves.

"The fact that they're repeating the behavior says they don't care," Knopf said. "Until we take accountability and discipline, people punish people for their crimes and what they're doing, it's just going to continue to get worse."

Knopf's Councilmember Scott Reed provided a statement to WDRB News. It said in-part: "We are working with police to increase patrols, improve awareness." Reed also said car owners need to remain vigilant. He asks you keep your car doors locked and your valuables out of sight, too.

In February, LMPD's 8th Division said it was using the Nextdoor App to track car thieves.

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City report shows Friday is the busiest night for car thieves in Louisville, some caught on camera