Vehicle break-ins and thefts have been climbing across the Cincinnati area, and a new state law now gives police a sharper tool to fight back.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 519 on Thursday, Oct. 1, making it a fourth-degree felony to possess an electronic key-programming device while committing a vehicle theft. The law took effect immediately under an emergency clause, according to the Springfield News-Sun.

The devices let locksmiths and mechanics reprogram car keys. Thieves have used the same technology to steal vehicles equipped with keyless entry and push-button ignitions.

Hamilton County Deputy Ethan Milazzo knows the toll firsthand. His truck was broken into twice in four months along East Court Street in downtown Cincinnati, part of a string of break-ins on the same block, WLWT reported. "It does seem to be a recurring issue, especially down there around the courthouse, Sycamore Street, East Court Street," Milazzo said.

Cincinnati police have warned that thieves targeting cars are often searching for guns. Cincinnati Police Department data shows 346 guns were stolen from vehicles in parking lots and garages since Jan. 1, 2024. Of more than 380 guns reported stolen from cars in 2025, 100 were later used in crimes, according to data cited by Cincinnati Council member Anna Albi, as reported by WCPO.

HB 519 strengthens Ohio's existing criminal tools statute. Dayton investigators documented the scope of the device problem: one recovered electronic programmer had been used to steal 76 vehicles. A second device, tied to a 2024 chop-shop investigation, was linked to 60 more, according to Dayton 24/7 Now.

Dayton Police Chief Eric Henderson said vehicle thefts in Ohio began surging in 2022, initially targeting Kia and Hyundai models before expanding to higher-end vehicles through the programming devices. Dayton recorded about 800 stolen vehicles in 2019. By 2023, that number topped 2,400. As of an Oct. 2 briefing, the city had already surpassed 1,000 thefts in 2026.

Henderson said stolen vehicles are often used in other crimes or recovered after crashes, and that rising thefts can push up insurance premiums for all drivers.

State Rep. Andrea White, a Kettering Republican, introduced HB 519 after Dayton police raised concerns with her in April 2025. Dayton officers later testified at the Statehouse in support of the bill.

The legislation also includes a 90-day gas tax holiday added by Republican legislative leaders before the bill reached DeWine's desk. That provision suspends Ohio's 38.5-cent gasoline tax and 47-cent diesel tax at an estimated cost of $726 million, according to WOSU.

Montgomery police, Blue Ash police and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office had not commented publicly on the new law as of Saturday, Oct. 3. The felony provision applies statewide and is already in effect.