“We contacted Kia and Hyundai corporate offices to ask for some steering wheel locks for our residents, and they provided them free of charge,” said Emily Douglas, community outreach coordinator for the Blaine Police Department.
So far, about fifty locks have been given out to Blaine residents. Emily Douglas says that Blaine hasn’t seen the increase in theft that Minneapolis and Saint Paul have, and she’d like to keep it that way.
“We haven’t seen a huge uptick in thefts of Kia or Hyundai overthe last couple years, but surrounding areas have seen it, and metro area has seen it. Having these for our residents has helped us protect their vehicles,” said Douglas.
It’s a simple device that doesn’t prevent the car from being hot-wired, but does prevent the steering wheel from turning more than just a little bit.
Hopefully, this steering wheel lock provides a little piece of mind to those who own an impacted car.
“I think people have been very thankful and grateful to be able to put these on their vehicles and have some peace of mind and reduce their risk for theft.
If you own a 2011- 2021 Kia or Hyundai that uses a key, you may be eligible to pick up a free lock. You can call the Blaine police at 763-717-2692 to find out more.
Blaine isn’t the only police department with these locks, so if you live in another city, contact your city hall to find out if locks are available to you.
