Centennial State News

Brian Karsh is fed up. Beyond fed up, actually.

Karsh, co-owner of Springs Automotive Group in Colorado Springs, said he wants action and enforcement to reduce the number of thefts and property crimes targeting car dealerships in the state.

“In 16 months, we had 32 encounters with the police,” he told Centennial State News.

According to a new report from Denver City Wire, there were more car thefts in Colorado last year than in any other state in the country, based on data from the Colorado Department of Public Safety.

The rate of motor vehicle theft in Colorado almost doubled between 2019 and 2021, increasing from 377 to 637 per 100,000 residents. The rate of car theft in the state is more than double the national average of 246 per 100,000 residents, according to the report.

Karsh said it has become a regular concern for his business. The fact that law enforcement is reluctant to act just adds to his frustration.

“When my dealership was broken into the last time — because it's been broken into multiple times this year — but this last one, when I had the footage and the police didn't pursue or do anything at 3 in the morning in an industrial area, I was pretty upset,” he said. “I called Fox News and he came down and aired their story and the Sheridan Police Department was pretty upset about it. And the chief of police and the captain came down to my dealership, talked about it, and told me that the reason that they are unable to pursue or do anything about it is due to the policies that have been put in place that are tying their hands.

“And so that to me was alarming, that the police are unable to police,” Karsh said. “When they're standing there seeing the crimes going on and are unable to do anything while there, that's a problem.”

He is also concerned about the risk to his employees. Karsh, 46, has been selling cars since 1994. His grandfather, father and an uncle also sold cars. It’s in his blood.

Springs Automotive Group opened in Colorado Springs in 2008 and then opened a location in Englewood in 2012, according to its website.

Karsh said the break-ins have become increasingly violent.

“Here's another part of the story. When my dealership was broken into, they broke every glass door in the building,” he said. “They ripped out all my employees’ drawers, threw their stuff all over the floor, threw all their belongings everywhere. You know, my employees come in and they're picking their belongings up through the glass on the floor.”

Karsh said that has caused a change in how his workers prepare for their day.

“You know, everybody comes into work armed now,” he said. “Instead of worrying about selling cars, they’re worrying about what was stolen from them, if they're going to get cut on glass. We're still finding glass under things. And, if they're going to have to worry about the next person coming in — is he going to be there to hurt them or, the catalytic converter thefts?”

When a salesman tries to sell a vehicle and starts it up, they hear a roar, because the catalytic converter was stolen. Or when a staffer goes to fill it up with gas, it runs out, because a hole was drilled in the tank.

Deals are lost and salesmen see their incomes decline, Karsh said.

“And it's affecting their livelihood, affecting their state of mind,” he said. “You know, they're the victims. It's affecting the dealer-owners and operators.”

No one has pulled a gun on one of his employees so far.

“But I have had employees almost run over, had to jump out of the way,” Karsh said. “A friend of mine last year, he had a gentleman come in wanting to test drive a Corvette that was on consignment. And when they told him, no that it was a consignment unit, they weren’t doing test drives, the guy pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the neck.

“One of the problems is that these people get arrested and they're out within hours. They're out in hour or two,” he said. “And there's nothing to prevent them from continuing. They've arrested multiple people multiple times for the same thing. And they still get out right away. It’s nonstop every day.”

It’s such a growing problem that a Facebook page, Colorado Stolen Cars, has been created, Karsh said. People report their vehicles when they are taken, posting photos and other information.

The brother of a friend of his had his vehicle stolen. It was recovered three hours later, running, with the doors open. Karsh said Colorado has gained a dubious reputation for being “soft on crime,” and criminals are aware of it.

Police tell him they are wary of getting too involved.

“Well, they're saying that due to the fact that there's no police immunity anymore, that if they were to chase them and somebody got injured, they would go to jail and lose their livelihood,” Karsh said. “I actually spoke to the chief of police at Sheridan and they looked right at me and said, ‘There's nothing we can do.’

“And I said, So you're going to leave it to the citizens to have to stand up and do something? Do I need to sleep here with with a gun in my office?” he recalled telling them. “So I said, rather than doing the right thing and standing up and saying something, you're worried about losing your job, and these people are out here losing their livelihood and I'm going to lose my business. You know how many times this happens? I had 12 vehicles or something stolen this year. How many vehicles do you think I can absorb before I'm out of business?”

Karsh said state officials have not offered any assistance.

“Well, I can tell you this. I can tell you that the day that this happened, my wife sent a message and they reached out to me saying that they wanted to meet,” he said. “And I've reached out several times since then.”

But there have been no actual meetings, Karsh said.

He said insurance isn’t the salvation people think it is.

“Especially at the dealer level, because you make a couple of claims, and the next year your insurance goes up $150,000 for the year, which happened to us,” Karsh said.

He said many car dealers are afraid to discuss this issue. But he said it needs to be brought out in the open to let the public learn what is really going on. Karsh also implores state government officials to take it seriously and direct law enforcement to put a stop to it, or at least slow it down.

“Well, I think there has to be consequences for whether the people doing it, crimes shouldn’t pay,” he said. “And right now, crime pays.”

Property crime has risen by 20% and motor vehicle thefts have increased by 86% in Colorado between 2019 and 2021, CPR News reported in March.

Murder in the state increased by 47% during that time period, and violent crimes including aggravated assault, sexual assault, and robbery have increased by 17%. Overall crime in Colorado increased the fourth-most out of any state between 2019 and 2020, behind only Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah.

“Colorado, historically, has been a remarkably safe state, well below the national averages … we can’t say that anymore,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said, as reported by CPR News. “I study this crime data on a daily basis and we have significant challenges. Until we come together and are even willing to admit we have a problem, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to get this fixed.” 

Pazen expressed doubt that the spike in crime is related to the pandemic, and called on state lawmakers to reevaluate recent laws that lessen penalties for crimes, including auto theft and drug possession.

Pazen announced at the end of August that he is retiring, effective Oct. 15.

Democrat Gov. Jared Polis held a press conference in February to address public safety and crime-related legislation, but several of the state's largest law enforcement groups did not participate, and instead sent a letter to the governor, which said, “We ask that elected officials, such as yourself and state legislators, recognize how recent legislation and policy changes have directly contributed to rising crime rates and struggles to recruit and retain officers.”

The letter was signed by Gregory Knott, president of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, Stephen Schulz, president of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police and Amy Nichols, executive director of County Sheriffs of Colorado, Colorado Peak Politics reported.

Kyle Kohli, executive director of Compass Colorado, said after the press conference that the governor needs to change course to improve safety and reduce criminal activity.

“Colorado is less safe today because of Polis and his soft-on-crime record,” Kohli said. “The governor’s refusal to take responsibility for his contributions to Colorado’s historic crime wave exhibited a stunning lack of leadership.”