The Illinois State Police are continuing their crackdown on vehicle theft and carjackings, backed by more than $11 million in grant funding from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

Between April and June of this year, ISP recovered 225 stolen vehicles and made six arrests connected to those thefts. Troopers also seized 15 firearms during these operations. Over that same period, police carried out 48 missions focused on stolen vehicles and related violent crimes, using K9 units and air support in many of the cases. Forensic labs handled more than 1,200 assignments tied to vehicle theft investigations.

Among recent incidents, troopers recovered a stolen Land Rover on April 26 in Chicago after a short chase. Two people were taken into custody and a firearm was recovered. On May 3, ISP attempted a traffic stop on a stolen Kia in Cahokia. The car fled, and although two people ran from the scene, one was caught and arrested. Then on June 1, police tracked down a stolen Jeep in Chicago. Five people ran from the vehicle but were eventually taken into custody, and another gun was recovered.

The latest round of grant funding, exceeding $600,000, was awarded to ISP in July to support continued enforcement efforts.