Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) – The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) teamed up with Hyundai to host a free Anti-Theft Software Upgrade event at police headquarters on Thursday.“Of the 1,094 vehicles stolen so far year-to-date, 449 have been Hyundais,” MCPD Chief Marcus Jones said.Officials said they decided to host the event due to the significant number of cars stolen in the county being Hyundais. Alsobrooks leads Trone in Senate race, DC News Now poll finds; either would beat Hogan Hyundai representatives say they saw a drastic increase in thefts of their vehicles in the summer of 2021. They say the thefts were driven by a viral TikTok challenge.“We set out to work on an alarm solution,” said Dave VandeLinde, vice president of Hyundai Motor America. “Kind of a basic alarm solution, a steering wheel lock distribution program and then also engineering important software updates to specifically address that type of theft.”Hyundai models between 2011 and 2021 are eligible for the upgrades.“There’s no cost whatsoever,” VandeLinde continued. “No appointment whatsoever, not even any ID required. All we need is the serial number on the vehicle, and as the chief said, about 30 minutes of the customer’s time.”Erica Robertson said she came to Thursday’s event because she often worries that her vehicle will be stolen.“I don’t have a garage, I just have a driveway. You know, is my car going to be there? I did have that feeling,” Robertson said.She said now having the software upgrade installed gives her peace of mind.“Just to have that safety and know that once this is put in, I guess I don’t have to worry,” she said.The Anti-Theft Software Update event will go on for two more days at MCPD Headquarters. The event goes from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
