The Illinois State Police are ramping up their fight against vehicle thefts, carjackings, and the violent crimes that often come with them thanks to millions of dollars in state grant funding.
The funding comes from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council. The Illinois State Police were awarded a ten-million-dollar grant during the first year of the program, with additional grants of more than six hundred thousand dollars each awarded in 2024 and again this past July.
Those dollars are helping state police expand patrols, air operations, and forensic investigations across Illinois. Between July and September of this year, ISP missions led to the recovery of 280 stolen or hijacked vehicles, along with 21 arrests for stolen vehicles and four arrests related to hijackings.
In addition, officers seized 13 firearms connected to those cases, and completed over 1,200 forensic lab assignments tied to vehicle theft investigations. State police say their work isn’t just about recovering property it’s about curbing violent crime.
Among recent examples:
On July 20th, troopers tracked down a stolen Nissan on I-94 in Chicago. The driver fled on foot but was later taken into custody, and police recovered a stolen firearm.
Then on August 28th in East St. Louis, ISP officers arrested another suspect after stopping a stolen vehicle a drug pipe was also recovered.
And on September 20th, troopers located a car that had just been carjacked in Chicago. The suspect led police on a chase before crashing into a Chicago Police squad car. A juvenile driver was arrested at the scene.
The Illinois State Police say these operations are part of a continued, statewide push to make Illinois roads and neighborhoods safer from vehicle theft and violent crime.
