Colorado’s car theft crisis: How policy mistakes fueled years of record losses
By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website highlights that there were 95,564 fewer reported motor vehicle thefts across the United States in calendar year 2024 than there were in 2008, a decrease of around 10%.
But not in Colorado where, due to policy choices by politicians and the court system, the number of motor vehicle thefts increased by 131%.
The Colorado Crime Statistics website shows that the number of reported motor vehicle thefts in the state increased from 11,004 in 2008 to 25,424 in 2024.
And 2024 was a much better year for Coloradans than in 2020 when 28,246 vehicles were stolen. It was also better than in 2021 when there were 37,249 thefts; 2022 saw a record 41,390 vehicles stolen (113 per day), and 2023 when t...

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