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$170K in stolen vehicles recovered, 4 arrested in Utah–Colorado theft ring
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Approved, kdvr.com, National, State

$170K in stolen vehicles recovered, 4 arrested in Utah–Colorado theft ring

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office announced that four people were arrested last week for multiple automobile thefts that crossed the Colorado and Utah border. On April 15, Colorado and Utah law enforcement agencies were able to identify a suspect vehicle in eastern Utah. Law enforcement believed the suspects would return to Colorado in the early hours of April 16 with stolen vehicles. Law enforcement said they believe the suspects have used this tactic several times previously. On April 16, the Colorado State Patrol, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and members of Special Problem Enforcement and Response, a multi-jurisdictional task force based out of Garfield County, located the suspect vehicles entering Colorado. Officers initi...
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Colorado crime and Aurora’s experience with auto theft  
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Approved, Common Sense Institute, Local

Colorado crime and Aurora’s experience with auto theft  

By Common Sense Institute Colorado’s crime rate is not back to its pre-pandemic level. Both local and state authorities are currently attempting to find policy solutions.  Some localities have created policies and procedures that go beyond state guidelines in an effort to control crime. The City of Aurora implemented mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for auto theft in 2022, for example, the year that Colorado’s and Aurora’s auto theft rates were highest. This policy led to a decrease in the auto theft rate in the city beyond what was seen statewide. In 2023, state lawmakers tried to address auto theft with passage of SB23-097. This bill did not implement mandatory minimum sentences, but instead made it a felony to commit auto theft regardless of the value of the vehicle. T...
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Sen. Rod Pelton asks Colorado lawmakers to ‘crack down on crime in this state’
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Sen. Rod Pelton asks Colorado lawmakers to ‘crack down on crime in this state’

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The odds might not be ever in your favor in Colorado that if you operate a motor vehicle here, it won't be stolen at some point. A case made Friday by Cheyenne Wells Sen. Rod Pelton is a family from Wray on the distant Eastern Plains, near the state line shared with Nebraska. The family, from Cory Gardner Country in Yuma County, had traveled to Denver on Thursday, but had difficulty returning home. "They were up here enjoying a good time at state wrestling and their car was stolen," he said. Wray is a town of about 2,400 with a crime rate nearly four times lower than the average. Extrapolating FBI data from 2019-2023, Newsweek reports auto theft per capita is highest in Colorado among all states. That FBI data also details auto theft ha...
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Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Auto thefts down statewide, but still remain high, State Patrol says

By Rachel Saurer | Fox 31 News Colorado State Patrol shared an encouraging look at auto theft numbers statewide. The number of cars being stolen has dropped to the lowest it has been since 2020. “In 2023, we saw a 20-plus percent reduction over 2022. And this year in 2024, we are trending for further decreases from last year. An additional 20 percent or more depending on how this last month or so goes,” said Cale Gould, public outreach coordinator, Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority with CSP. Gould said there are many factors contributing to this decrease to include owners taking accountability for their vehicles and the state passing legislation to further criminalize motor vehicle theft and provide more funding. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Are laws cracking down on car theft responsible for downward trend in Colorado?
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Are laws cracking down on car theft responsible for downward trend in Colorado?

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado found itself atop most lists of states with the highest car thefts and associated crimes in the last several years — record-breaking numbers that had been accumulating since 2020 and which put pressure on the governor and legislators to respond. Notably, lawmakers, upon the urging of the governor, passed a law that made all car thefts a felony, decoupling the severity of the crime from the value of the car and tying it instead to behavior so that the penalty becomes more severe with repeat offenders.      But lawmakers haven't introduced a lot of bills devoted to auto theft this year. Is that because the laws enacted are working? READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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