Acting D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee has created a task force to tamp down on carjackings amid a rise in vehicle thefts in the District. He told reporters Tuesday that the task force will include specialized detectives to investigate thefts, but will also encourage drivers to eliminate opportunities for thieves.

“A lot of these cases are preventable,” Contee said. “When you have keys that are left in the vehicle, when you have a vehicle that’s running unattended, when you have a driver that just parks for a second and then runs into an establishment — those are all preventable things.”

Contee noted that automobile thefts are up in D.C. and nationwide. As of Monday, MPD says vehicle thefts are up 72% over the same period last year. The spike stands out compared to other crimes that have gone down in the same period, including burglary and theft from vehicles.

The task force was formed in late January, Contee said. He explained that police assigned a group of MPD detectives to the task force, and will also have support from the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the ATF’s Washington field office. Law enforcement from around the region, as well as the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, will help as well, he said.

David Do, the director of D.C.’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles, said the rise in theft is tied to changes caused by people staying home during the pandemic. “We’re moving from transporting passengers to transporting parcels and goods and foods deliveries,” he said. “That’s why we see an increase in for-hire vehicle thefts.”

Do said his office is reaching out to for-hire vehicle drivers and urging them not to leave their vehicles running unattended. He suggested that drivers whose cars are stolen do not fight back, and instead file a report with MPD and DFHV.

Sybongile Cook, the city’s director of business development and strategy, said her office would post flyers in businesses and community organizations to help make drivers aware of the measures they could take to keep their cars safe.

“Take heed to the tips you just heard,” she said, addressing drivers in D.C.

Car thefts in D.C. have included some hair-raising and opportunistic incidents alike. In late December, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh’s car was stolen when she left is running as she went into a bakery in Van Ness. More seriously, a reporter referred to a January incident when a car was stolen with children inside. Contee said the children were later found unharmed and police recovered the vehicle, but were still working on the case.

“I think that’s a perfect example. You have families that are out here that are trying to struggle and make it. And sometimes parents are doing side jobs delivering food, and in this case having their children along for the ride,” he says. “We just want to make sure that all our drivers, all our vehicles for hire, that people are aware of the dangers that exist out here.”