St. Cloud Looking to Hire Full Time Auto Theft Investigator

ST. CLOUD -- St. Cloud is looking to hire a full-time auto theft investigator. During Monday's meeting, the city council will be asked to approve a grant for $100,000 from the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The city has seen an increase in vehicle thefts and this grant-funded position would allow an investigator to solely focus on reducing the thefts as well as provide education to residents on how they can help.

According to the St. Cloud Police Department's Calls for Service reports, there have been 106 vehicles stolen in the city through April of this year, including 36 in January and 33 in February.

Stolen Vehicles by year:
2020 -- 279
2019 -- 197
2018 -- 171
2017 -- 202
2016 -- 181

The grant would be in effect from July 1st through June 30th of next year, with the possibility of an additional one-year extension.