YORK COUNTY, S.C. — The York County Sheriff's Office arrested dozens of people who stole vehicles and recovered more than 70 stolen vehicles through summer-long program called Operation Diamondback which focused on shrinking the number of car thefts and break-ins.
“We were poised and ready to strike," Sergeant Kevin Casey with the York County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The sheriff's office focused on hot spots where car thefts and break-ins occurred.
“During the summer, when it’s expected that these crimes will rise, we actually saw a decrease in our motor vehicle-related crimes," York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.
Tolson said since 2022, the department has seen an 8% decrease in stolen vehicle cases, and a 28% decrease in car break-ins. He attributes the reduction in crime to Operation Diamondback.
Officials said they saw the most activity in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It specifically targeted Carowinds Boulevard, where many of the crimes occur, because the hotels there have parking lots full of vehicles, many of which are from out of town.
“We shut Carowinds Boulevard down after midnight, and that’s really an unseen and unheard of phenomena," Tolson said.
According to the York County Sheriff's Office, during the operation, it recovered 74 stolen vehicles, worth a total value of $1.2 million, 51 arrests were made. In addition, 18 stolen firearms were seized, a problem Tolson said is avoidable by doing one simple thing.
“Don’t leave it in your vehicle, please," Tolson said. "We have a very high number of firearms that are stolen and are subsequently used in crimes.”
Deputies also seized different drugs, including fentanyl, a drug linked to overdoses around the Charlotte region. The sheriff firmly believes this operation helped save lives.
Officials advise people to lock their car doors, as it actually does prevent criminals from stealing vehicles or items inside the vehicles.
The sheriff's office said the operation provided transparency, too. At times, detectives would give out calling cards to suspects and persons of interest in vehicle crimes who it make contact with, to let them know deputies were on high alert.
Tolson said the department plans to do similar operations moving forward.
In contrast, this summer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department saw a 143% increase in car thefts this year, according to crime data released in July.
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