When I started in law enforcement 40 years ago.
Recovering a stolen vehicle would earn you a big pat on the back and a job well done.
They don’t have time now days, even if you have a 99% suspicion where it might be they won’t go look. All they do is make a report and tell you “Turn it into your insurance company”. They will not go out of their way, they have “more important” things to do than look for a stolen vehicle even with a good solid lead. So you have to investigate it yourself...
Been there...
What has struck me is the amount of damage some dumb kids can do, even if they don’t manage to kill innocents out on the highway. It is astronomical. Total a car, run it into somebody’s house, or take out a telephone or utility pole along the way (you’d be amazed at what those cost), electrical transformers, all kinds of stuff. Everything is insanely expensive. Insurance rates go up for everyone.
They never pay a dime of that back to anyone, and of course, locking them up costs money. So much for “paying one’s debt to society”.
I expect maybe we’ll see some push in that direction for holding people financially accountable, and thus deterrence that way. I think it would work, over just throwing people in a cage. They better figure something out quick, or it will just be mad max. Ain’t nobody got time for dat!