Colorado Gets Tougher On Car Thieves

But will it stem the rising tide?

Colorado has had quite the growing car theft problem for the past several years. Most of the crime is centered on the Denver metro area where authorities have recently busted several theft rings. Yet it seems the trend isn’t reversing. However, a new law was just signed by Governor Jared Polis, reports Longmont Leader, and with it comes tougher penalties for car thieves.

See 80s high school car culture perfectly preserved here.

Don’t expect anything too extreme from this law. As the report points out, unlike before where the monetary value of the stolen vehicle was taken into account when calculating a punishment, now whether you steal a Ferrari or a Kia, the punishment is the same.

The Boulder Count District Attorney’s Office is painting this as a win, stating “When a single-car family has their car stolen, they suffer just as much as someone who has their high-end vehicle stolen.” We have a funny feeling the single-car family actually suffers more, but that’s not to say a guy with ten cars doesn’t suffer at all when his Lamborghini is swiped.

To further deter auto theft in the state, the new law makes all offenses at least a Class 5 felony, even if someone steals a hooptie. That theft is enhanced to a Class 4 felony if aggravating factors are present, which as the article points out could mean taking the car across state lines, the license plate is altered, or more than $1,000 in damage is done to the vehicle (which isn’t too hard to exceed in newer models, sadly).

The big question everyone is either secretly or openly wondering is if this will finally tamp down the steep climb in auto thefts throughout Colorado. We’d love to see car theft drop off a cliff there and elsewhere, because the problem is putting a tremendous strain on the industry and society in general. But we’ll have to wait and see what the coming months bring.

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