Auto Theft Task Force Beefed Up In Monmouth County

FREEHOLD, NJ — To respond to the increase in car thefts in the area, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden is assigning six additional officers to the Monmouth/Ocean County Auto Theft Task Force.

The sheriff recently announced this plan during a virtual task force meeting that included members of law enforcement from Monmouth and Ocean counties, according to a news release issued by his office.

He said the six officers are deployed to certain "hot spot areas" throughout Monmouth County where they are assisting patrols with local police departments. He said in the release that they will continue to investigate the surge in auto theft and will be focusing "on the technology aspect with additional license plate readers.” (The Holmdel Township Committee has recently approved the purchase of stationary license plate readers to bring in more data about cars driving through the township.)

Golden, who in recent statements has said bail reform policies have contributed to the car theft problem, provided some statistics on the issue in the news release: Monmouth County had 314 car thefts the first eight months of 2021 and 446 the first eight months of 2022. From January 2021 through August 2022, 100 individuals were committed to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in connection to those auto thefts. Of those, 82 were released, 28 were re-arrested on similar charges. Nineteen of those re-arrested were again released. He said that, in addition, 56 individuals were arrested in connection to auto theft but released on a summons, and of them 35 were re-arrested on similar charges.

Golden thanked members of law enforcement for "doing a commendable job in addressing this issue" and said the ongoing problem was "not because of a lack of their efforts," the news release said.

He said the public should continue to be vigilant, park in well-lit areas at night, make certain that their car is always locked when parked and keep the key fob safe.