And while recent data shows that auto thieves in San Antonio also are targeting those makes, local police advise discretion in the use of Apple's technology, which enables people to locate whatever the devices are attached to using a mobile app.
Instead, victims of vehicle thefts are urged to report such crimes as soon as possible, said officer Ricardo Guzman, a spokesman for the San Antonio Police Department. The sooner a vehicle is reported stolen, the sooner officers can start looking for it.
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Meanwhile, if a person finds a stolen vehicle independently from law enforcement, the police should be called immediately with that information.
The SAPD recommends that people not confront potential suspects, saying that doing so could result in harm.
On March 29, police said, a man who sought to retrieve his stolen pickup on the Southeast Side fatally shot the person accused of stealing it, claiming that the person he confronted pulled out a gun. Police said an encounter like that should not have happened.
In March, Kia models topped the list of most stolen cars, with five models among them — Optima, Soul, Forte, Rio and Sportage. Hyundais also appeared on the list with the Sonata and Elantra, which was the most stolen vehicle. The Ford F-series trucks were the second-most stolen vehicles.
San Antonio police said certain online videos on social media may be contributing to the increase in vehicle thefts, demonstrating how to steal Kia and Hyundai model cars that were designed without an engine immobilizer, an electronic security device that prevents a car from being started without the correct key.
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In recent weeks, police have been directing people who own Hyundai vehicles to the automaker's free anti-theft software upgrade campaign. Thirteen models are eligible for the upgrade, spanning different model years, some as far back as 2011.
Motor vehicle theft was up 59 percent overall, with 4,292 reported thefts reported from January to March, up from 2,697 thefts reported during the same period last year, according to the department's uniformed crime report data.
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