The number of vehicles stolen in the state continues to drop, despite the fact that large numbers of Coloradans pay too little attention to safeguards that could keep their cars safe.
On Tuesday, a coalition of law enforcement agencies, the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, AAA Colorado and others announced a new effort to educate the public on ways to foil thieves.
“Many times, auto theft is a preventable crime. We really need the public’s help to prevent these thefts and apprehend the offenders,” Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta said at a news conference to announce the initiative.
Coloradans Against Auto Theft launched “Lockdown,” a statewide vehicle-theft prevention initiative with a $200,000 grant from the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority.
The public-awareness effort includes coordinated statewide education campaigns, enforcement efforts and a new website, lock .
Auto theft in the state, and throughout the nation, has been dropping. Industry and law enforcement experts attribute the decrease to manufacturing innovations such as computer-coded car keys, as well as police cooperation across city lines in task forces dedicated to vehicle theft.
Since the state legislature created CATPA in 2003, the number of stolen vehicles in Colorado has fallen from 22,699 to 12,182 in 2009. The authority’s multijurisdictional task forces have been responsible for much of the drop in theft, said Carole Walker, co-chair of Coloradans Against Auto Theft.
The 2009 number is a 4.4 percent decrease from 2008.
At an average valuation of $6,505 per stolen vehicle, 2009’s losses amount to about $79.2 million.
Joel Ashmore, 44, who appeared at the news conference to announce the initiative, said his Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from among a group of vehicles parked in an alley behind a home recording studio near the University of Denver.
“Once everyone else left, I noticed there were no more cars in the alley,” he said. He got the Cherokee back, but it was totalled, he said. “You never think this is going to happen to you. Don’t be fooled.”
A recent statewide survey found that one in five Coloradans leave cars unlocked, running or parked in dimly lit, low traffic areas and engage in other behavior that can make a car thieve’s day.
The poll found that although 40 percent of Coloradans know someone who has had a car stolen, only 8 percent are concerned about their own autos being stolen. And 40 percent of those surveyed said they have left a car running while unattended.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
