Auto thefts are surging across El Paso, with thieves hitting home driveways on the West Side, apartment parking lots in the far East Side and everywhere in between, police officials said.

"The numbers are definitely up," said Stephen Plummer, public awareness manager for the El Paso Auto Theft Task Force.

On the West Side, auto thefts have jumped a whopping 132% compared with this time last year, with 158 vehicles stolen, Plummer said. There have been 198 auto thefts (up 47%) in the expansive Pebble Hills police region with its shopping centers, apartment complexes and growing neighborhoods in the East Side.

Auto thefts have spiked in all the other police regions: Central is up 18% (181 vehicles stolen); Northeast is up 34% (145 vehicles stolen); and Mission Valley is up 54% (129 vehicles stolen), Plummer said.

"We have a lot of active thieves out there right now," said Plummer, adding that thieves are striking during the overnight hours at apartments and other residential areas. Auto theft investigators have made arrests and are working on making more, he added.

Auto thefts are among the most significant increases as crime overall is up 6% in El Paso through the first half of 2022, according to statistics provided by police public information officer Sgt. Enrique Carrillo.

The crime statistics are a mixed bag. Auto thefts are up 48%, assaults are up 15%, burglaries (home, vehicle, building) are down 34%, while murders and robberies remain steady, El Paso Police Department numbers show.

Police officials said that the increase in vehicle thefts is due to a various factors, including rising vehicle prices and the resurgence of thievery after reopening following the restrictions in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current auto theft rate is still far, far smaller than the more than 100 cars stolen per week in El Paso in the 1980s, police officials have said.

Most stolen vehicles in El Paso this year

El Paso is not alone in experiencing a staggering increase in vehicle thefts.

Cities across the nation have seen an "unprecedented rise" in auto thefts and carjackings in the past five years, David Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, told a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in March. Carjackings − the forceful theft of a vehicle through violence − have tripled in some large cities, with many of the jackings being committed by juveniles.

Like the rest of the nation, El Paso is also seeing a tidal wave of thefts of catalytic converters. A catalytic converter is a metal boxlike device that reduces harmful gasses that's connected to the exhaust system under a vehicle. The device contains precious metals sought by scrapyards and internet buyers.

There have been 244 catalytic converters stolen from parked vehicles in El Paso in the first six months of this year, compared with 363 in all of 2021, Plummer said.

High-clearance vehicles such as SUVs, trucks and fleets, including school buses, have been targets for catalytic converter thieves, AAA Texas warned this week. Recyclers pay $50 to $250 per catalytic converter, but replacing the part could cost between $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the vehicle.

AAA Texas advised drivers to park in well-lighted spots, close to building entrances. Consider engraving the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter to help identify it if it's stolen. Look into security devices and locks.

Auto thefts aren't the only crime rising in El Paso. There is also an increase in assaults and vandalism.

Crime categories year-to-date compared with 2021 as of July 9:

Homicides detectives with the Crimes Against Persons Unit continue investigating the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy on the Fourth of July at a home in the Lower Valley; the death of Juan Francisco Grajeda, 49, in his apartment on North Laurel Street on June 20; and the death of Raul Gerardo Zamora, 28, outside his home on Cannon Hill Drive in the far East Side on June 23. Police officials have yet to release the name of the boy who died.

El Paso has averaged about 22 murders a year in the past 10 years. There were 40 murders in 2019, with more than half of those occurring in the Walmart mass shooting. The deadliest yearly total was 56 murders in 1993.

Anyone with information on unsolved homicides, auto thefts and other criminal activity may anonymously call Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 (TIPS) or leave a tip online at crimestoppersofelpaso.org.