ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - An August example in the Central West End shows a suspect kneeling by the back passenger window of a Dodge Dart and breaking out a window.

An apparent partner in crime pulls up behind as the suspect crawls through the broken window. It’s not quick.

Several minutes pass before the car is stolen using technology.

“Just when you think you get ahead of the curve…” Jim Whyte said, with the Central West End Security Initiative.

Whyte’s group is looking for answers after a rise in thefts involving vehicles other than Kias, which used to be the primary targets.

“What we suspect is using technology to clone or spoof the device that starts the car,” Whyte said.

The North County Police Cooperative reports busting several cases.

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