City Council passes crackdown on black market air bag sales as police struggle to address skyrocketing thefts

Buyers and sellers of stolen air bags will now face harsher penalties under a new ordinance approved Wednesday by Chicago’s City Council.

Sponsored by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), the ordinance is the first attempt to crack down on the city’s skyrocketing rate of air bag thefts. It passed unanimously, without debate on the City Council floor.

There were more than 1,200 victims of air bag thefts across Chicago in the first four months of this year, according to Chicago police data analyzed by the Sun-Times. By comparison, there were only 70 such thefts in the three years prior.

Thieves smash car windows and swipe air bags in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds, then turn around and sell them on the black market for a couple hundred dollars.

Nearly every case has gone unsolved, with just one arrest made so far this year, the Sun-Times found. Six neighborhoods on the North and North West sides have accounted for 42% of all thefts citywide.

Anthony Riccio, who retired as the second-ranking Chicago police official, said the dramatic increase likely means criminals have noticed that police aren’t doing much to combat the problem. “Word has gotten out that this is an easy thing to do,” Riccio previously told the Sun-Times.

Under the new ordinance, junk dealers, pawn shops and auto repair stores will be required to keep receipts proving where they got each of their air bags.

Those caught buying or selling stolen air bags could face up to a $4,000 fine for the first violation. If caught multiple times within the span of a year, fines could increase by $2,000 or more.

Villegas previously said he’s trying to give the department an additional “tool” to address the spike. But the ordinance doesn’t address how Chicago police will actually find black market resellers.