Centennial State News

The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) knows that having your vehicle stolen is more than a violation of the law, it’s a very personal crime.

“Motor vehicle theft is an extremely costly crime, not only on a strictly economic level, but a crime that causes deep emotional trauma to a victim who lost one of their most valuable possessions in their car,” CATPA Public Outreach Program assistant Cale Gould told the Centennial State News. “But it is also so much more than a property crime. You hear it all the time but a car is usually the second-most expensive single item a person owns, just after their house. So when a car is stolen from you, regardless of recovery rates, etc., the initial damage shock is huge.

“The loss of your vehicle is staggering, but you immediately have to figure out, ‘How am I going to get to work today?’ ‘How am I going to pick up the kids from school?’ etc. etc.”

Those are questions many Coloradans have been asking in recent months.

The Denver City Wire recently reported that 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 Wire report said. The rate of car theft in the state is more than double the national average of 246 per 100,000 residents. Almost 37,000 cars were stolen in Colorado last year, and the Colorado State Police predicts that thieves will steal almost 44,000 vehicles this year, which would result in $425 million in financial losses for individual Coloradans—triple the amount of losses incurred in 2018.

After Gov. Jared Polis sent a letter to the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) in 2020 criticizing what he saw as “inequities” in the criminal justice system and calling for limiting the use of jail and prison, the state Legislature passed a bill decriminalizing gun possession by car thieves and reducing the criminal penalty for theft of a vehicle worth less than $2,000 to a misdemeanor, The Denver Gazette reported.

Polis signed the bill into law in 2021 with the support of Attorney General Phil Weiser. Now that Colorado is the No. 1 state in the country for auto thefts, the governor is changing his tune on the issue during his campaign for a second term.

The Common Sense Institute (CSI) of Colorado recently released its latest crime report, which showed that crime rates in the state remain higher than they were before the pandemic.

The report noted that criminal justice reform advocates have succeeded in obtaining a number of measures that harm public safety and contribute to the high crime rates, such as decriminalization, reducing punishments, and decarceration. It also asserted that rising crime rates should be accompanied by an increase in criminal convictions and incarcerations “for the sake of public safety and justice for victims,” but in Colorado that is not the case. The population of Department of Corrections facilities has declined by 15.5%.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau recently reported that nearly a half a million vehicles were stolen in America in the first six months of 2022, resulting in a loss of $4.5 billion.

“This includes an average value of the vehicle stolen, but it also factors in things such as lost wages, insurance premium increases, etc,” Gould said. “And that is really the chain reaction of a vehicle theft. Yes, the cost of the vehicle is a loss, but there are many other losses that occur due to this initial theft. Specifically in regards to used car dealers, these losses are magnified by the nature of the business. They experience the losses post-initial theft like any consumer would, but also loss of end investment profit.

“With other industry issues such as a weakened supply chain for vehicle repair components, increased costs for these repair components when available, and then labor shortages in key areas such as vehicle repair technicians, it creates an extremely volatile market for these small-business owners. As far as auto theft and Colorado residents, we all lose when a car is stolen, through increased insurance premiums and escalating costs of vehicles, it hurts everyone in the state.”

Gould noted that there are tips on the CATPA website lockdownyourcar.org to assist people in reducing the odds of having a vehicle stolen. While a specific online tool is being developed, the website offers a “Self-Guided Self-Assessment” of vehicle theft risk.

“It starts with the live heat map of vehicle theft on our home page,” Gould said. “See if your home or business (wherever your vehicle spends the most time) is in an area where there is a high concentration of vehicle thefts. Then go and see if your vehicle is on the top 10 most stolen models list. If you answer 'yes' to either, and especially both of these questions, you should be asking yourself, 'What do I do now?' Take extra precautions! You have to start by securing your vehicle, locking the doors and taking your keys. Whether your car is at an elevated risk or not, you need to lock the doors and remove all keys from the vehicle every time it is not in use.”

That sounds like common sense, but by some estimates, “owner apathy”—not using basic locks and protecting keys—is at fault for approximately half of all vehicle thefts nationwide. Another great way to protect your vehicle is to use your garage or covered parking if it is available.

“I am one of those people with a garage packed full, but I know I have to make room for my car because that is one of the best ways to protect it from total vehicle theft, catalytic converter theft, and even just surprising Colorado weather—hail and all included,” Gould said. “I know a garage or covered parking isn't always an option for everyone, so if you have to street-park your vehicle, we always encourage additional security measures to be taken. This may range from aftermarket security systems, steering wheel locks, sophisticated vehicle immobilizers—or one of my personal favorites is the parking-boot-style lock. A great way to show the vehicle is protected as it is readily visible from outside the vehicle.”

Gould noted that there is a silver lining to this dark cloud.

“Colorado has an extremely high vehicle recovery rate,” he said. “Year to date, we are showing in excess of a 90% recovery rate. While condition and damage is not factored into our numbers, the good news is the efforts of all Colorado law enforcement agencies and initiatives are resulting in recovered vehicles. The Colorado year-to-date number shows huge progress over the national average for recovered vehicles.”

CATPA is a business unit of the Colorado State Patrol and aims to reduce auto theft and insurance fraud by supporting law enforcement, assisting prosecutors and generating public awareness; its website said.

“The nature of CATPA's work is primarily that of a grants office where per our guiding statute, we collect a $1 fee per auto policy from the insurance industry and then issue grants with these funds to combat vehicle theft through initiatives that include education, training, enforcement, prosecution and prevention,” Gould said. “The increase in vehicle thefts has resulted in greater interest from prospective grantees who are trying to bolster their resources to combat vehicle theft. Additionally, we have seen new partners step forward to join current grant-funded initiatives to help reduce auto theft.

“Aside from the CATPA office’s primary role as a grant office, we provide public outreach services as subject matter experts in auto theft trends, information and prevention. Thus, we maintain resources and information for both governmental partners and the public who are looking to learn more about auto theft in their area and then how to prevent/combat it.”

Gould added that CATPA plays no role in legislative recommendations and policy-making. Its staff members have been asked to provide information, but as state employees they do not advocate for any legislation or policies.

“Our role in any (past or future) legislation is strictly to provide information and subject matter expertise as it may relate to our mission,” he said. “Additionally, our role would be guided by our division and department: the Colorado State Patrol, a part of the Department of Public Safety.”

But CATPA does provide useful services, and working to reduce the rising number of auto thefts is one of the most important ones.

“CATPA is an extremely agile and adaptive business unit of the Colorado State Patrol,” Gould said. “We are small, but we are eager to make an effect in the community however we can. Some of the best resources we have available for general information, trends and auto theft prevention information can be found at our website, lockdownyourcar.org. This website represents a cognitive effort we have created to consolidate all the information we have on auto theft into a one-stop shop for the general public and governmental agencies.

“Everything we have—from a list of top 10 stolen vehicles to where to find us at an event—is on this website. While we are continuing to update and improve this experience every chance we get, please utilize the resources available there to educate and protect yourself. Then if you don’t see something you are looking for, or want specific info about your vehicle/area, or want CATPA to support you or your organization in an effort, use the ‘Contact Us’ form to get ahold of us.”

Gould assured that the staff takes a personal interest in assisting crime victims. It’s more than mere daily drudgery for them.

“I love assisting the community like this,” he said. “Auto theft is a highly personable crime, so here at the CATPA office we take a personable approach to combating it.”