lisagartner

http://imgur.com/a/bDx5H

Here he is trying to steal my car.

Of the 742 arrests we examined, 99 -- or 13% -- were for females. We had a handful of chronic offenders who were girls: In the 18-month window we examined, two females were arrested four or more times for GTA. One of those girls was Dominique Battle - she died last year when the stolen Honda Accord she was in accidentally drove into a retention pond in a cemetery. The other two girls in the car also drowned.

My dog is dope.

I love this question. Yes. Some of these kids are 10, 11 years old. One of the girls we spoke with had to stack two couch cushions on the driver's seat when she first stole a car. She said we'd be amazed by how much you can crank up a seat. Police made arrests where they couldn't see kids over the steering wheels. Others kids couldn't figure out how to turn on the car's lights at night. Many of these kids are bad drivers when they start out, but they get better. Another kid we spoke with said he traded a stolen phone to his cousin for driving lessons.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s we had an epidemic here where kids were using a screwdriver to mess with the steering column and start cars. But these days they just walk down the street, testing door handles. When they find an unlocked car, they look inside for keys. And it's amazing how many times they find a key.

Kids can start as a passenger or look-out, so they'll familiarize themselves with the main functions before they take a car. Or they'll drive a car someone else stole.