SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – Auto thefts in San Marcos continue to climb, according to data obtained by KXAN.  From Jan. 1 to Dec. 3, 2024, there were 233 vehicles stolen within San Marcos. In 2022, there were 222 auto thefts, and 225 in 2023, according to the San Marcos Police Department. DATA: Auto theft happens across Austin — about 8% of cases ended in arrest in 2023 Of the 233 vehicles stolen through December of this year, SMPD told KXAN that 145, or 62%, of them were recovered.  “Region-wide, everyone’s getting hit with auto thefts up and down [Interstate] 35,” Brandon Winkenwerder, SMPD assistant chief over police operations, told KXAN in August. “San Antonio Police released that they had 19,000 stolen in a one-year period from May [2023] to May [2024].” In order to attempt to curb vehicle thefts in the city, the police department received grant funding to establish an auto crimes unit within SMPD. The grant funds one full-time sworn officer to focus on investigating these crimes and ten license plate readers, according to city backup.  The grant awards the department $177,401. To establish the unit, the city was also required to pay just over $35,000.  San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge said in the Dec. 3 city council meeting he thought eventually the new unit might have two to three investigators focusing specifically on auto crimes.