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Kansas City Council Considers Easing Car Warm-Up Rules

It's a crime in Kansas City, Mo., to leave your car running with a key in the ignition, though plenty of people do it when temperatures drop.

And it means a sharp uptick in car theft every winter – more than 600 cars stolen citywide in December and January.

That's why Sarah Boyd of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department Media Unit gets on Twitter and Facebook to remind people that leaving a key in the ignition is practically inviting thieves to steal their cars.

Boyd says now that remote starters come standard on many new cars, it's time to update the ordinance so residents don't get a ticket using them.

Whenever the weather turns cold, Boyd told the City Council's Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee Wednesday, "We would get multiple questions, dozens and dozens each time, of people inquiring about remote starts. 'Is that OK?'"

Sergeant Rod Gentry works in the south patrol property crimes division. He estimates at least a third of car thefts in the city involve cars that have had the keys left in the ignition. He said officers should be able to tell the difference between a car that's been started remotely and one that has a key inside.

"I think that if a reasonable, prudent officer were to look over and see that there were no keys in the ignition, obviously there would be no need to write a ticket for that," Gentry said.

Gentry said he supports changing the ordinance to allow people to use remote starters to warm their cars.

But leaving older cars running with keys in the ignition remains a huge challenge for police, because those cars are often used to commit other crimes.

"Of all of the vehicles stolen within North Patrol with the engine running, none of them have had forced entry," added Major Roger Lewis.

The full city council will consider amending the ordinance Thursday.

Elle Moxley covered education for KCUR.
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