MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Memphis Police Department (MPD) gave away hundreds of free steering wheel locks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
Memphians started lining up outside of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium as early as four hours ahead of time to make sure they got a steering wheel lock at the giveaway. They said adding this extra layer of security was necessary.
“I do have an older model car and I wanted to try and keep it," said Memphis resident Marcus Evans.
Of course, steering wheel locks do not completely deter car thieves. Memphis Police said there are things people can do to at least slow the thieves down.
"The wheel locks we're putting out. You also can put break locks on your vehicle. You can put kill switches, aftermarket alarm systems, also tracking devices. Tracking devices are important,” said MPD Tillman Station Colonel Willie Mathena.
MPD hosted several steering wheel lock giveaways this year and said the number of Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen have gone down since.
14,832 cars have been stolen so far in 2023. That’s a 51% surge compared to 2022.
MPD said the top four vehicle brands stolen in the City of Memphis are still Kia, Hyundai, Nissan and Infiniti.
