The Cook County Sheriff’s Office will host a booth at the Chicago Auto Show to provide safety information about carjackings and increase awareness of tracking technology that can help recover stolen cars and prosecute offenders. Carjackings in Cook County, including Chicago, increased 38 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. “This is a terrifying and dangerous crime that enables additional crimes to be carried out with the stolen vehicle,” said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. “We need to work with the public, inform them of how to protect themselves and how important tracking information can be in these cases. We cannot give up trying to reduce this crime.” The public outreach is just the latest effort by Sheriff Dart to raise awareness about this issue and work toward long-term solutions. The Office is asking for a single 24/7 hotline staffed by trained experts to legally access tracking information. Meanwhile, Sheriff Dart developed a consent-to-track form that owners can submit to the Sheriff’s Office to grant access to vehicle tracking information in the event it’s illegally taken. Having the completed form on hand will make it easier for law enforcement to access tracking information from manufactures quickly. The consent form is available on the Sheriff’s Office at www.cookcountysheriff.org/departments/c-c-s-p-d/carjacking/