Why A Missouri Scrap Metal Law Is To Blame For Soaring Car Thefts In Kansas City

While property crime has mostly been going down over the last decade, one kind has spiked in Missouri. Auto thefts are up. Way up. “Missouri is a leader, unfortunately in the nation in terms of auto theft,” says Cpl. Nate Bradley with the Missouri Highway Patrol.
How bad is it? In Kansas City, police say, auto thefts are up 20 percent in the last year and up by a third over the last six. In just the last 30 days, KCPD has taken 92 stolen car reports just in the East Patrol Division. This year the National Insurance Crime Bureau put St. Joseph and Springfield in its top ten auto theft cities. Bradley spends much of his time hunting auto thieves and stolen cars.