For some reason, carjacking has become far more prevalent in Minnesota over the past year. The number of cases in Minneapolis rose 57 percent in 2021 over the previous year –619 in 2021 compared to 388 the year before.

This is not just a Minneapolis problem. All Minnesotans should be concerned. Many of us travel to the Twin Cities for business, or recreation, or to visit family. We could be just as likely a target of carjackers as a Minneapolis native.

Many of us have family in the Twin Cities, and we don’t need to worry about whether our loved ones are safe.

Carjacking is a far more dangerous crime than auto theft, where someone steals your car while you are not with it. Carjackers, usually armed, accost drivers, sometimes assault them, sometimes shoot them. They take the cars without regard to what may be in them — a pet, for example, or a baby in a car seat. This weekend a 1-year-old boy was safely recovered and returned to his mother after a carjacker took him and the car.

Minnesota legislators are getting ready to meet at the end of the month, and they should be ready to look at ways to toughen laws dealing with carjacking, especially in cases involving physical violence and threats with guns.

Those who think that defunding police is a good idea should start pushing for full funding and full staffing of police departments to deal with this growing menace.