Denver City Wire

More Coloradans had their cars stolen last year than residents of any other state. And in 2022, Colorado car thieves are setting new records still.

That's according to data published by the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS).

Between 2019 and 2021, Colorado’s motor vehicle theft rates nearly doubled, from 377 to 637 per 100,000 residents, according to CDPS. 

Colorado's car theft rate is more than twice the national average, soaring when the national rate has remained flat (246/100,000 residents).

All told, thieves stole 36,907 Colorado cars last year and, at current rates, will steal nearly 44,000 in 2022, the Colorado State Police project. That would amount to approximately $425 million in financial losses for individual Coloradans, three times what it was in 2018.

According to the Insurance Information Institute and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood (3rd) and Pueblo (7th) ranked among the top ten worst metro areas for per capita car thefts in 2020. Denver metro jumped to third from being unranked over the past decade.

At a local level, Colorado fares even worse.

QuoteWizard.com ranks five Colorado cities among the ten worst in the U.S.

Denver ranks second worst with 1,285 vehicles stolen annually per 100,000 people, 520 percent more than the national average. Aurora (1,035/3rd), Westminster (934/5th), Pueblo (869/7th) and Lakewood (748/9th) also made the ranking.

Denver metro averages 100 car thefts each day; the city of Denver sees a car theft every hour.

“Please tell me how a virus makes people... steal more cars"

In a letter to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, state law enforcement leaders blamed "recent legislation and policy changes" for increases in car theft rates, as well as their "struggles to recruit and retain officers" to investigate and prevent them.

"The General Assembly has passed several bills, which you have signed into law, that make crime prevention more difficult, and prioritize offenders over victims and public safety," said the letter, from the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, Colorado Fraternal Order of Police and County Sheriffs of Colorado. "The inability to arrest and hold offenders results in offenders continuing to commit criminal acts, often escalating the severity of their crimes, and putting victims in fear of becoming revictimized."

Officials with Polis' administration are blaming COVID-19 and drivers themselves for the surge in car theft. 

A report by the state's Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center says "the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent efforts by state and local governments to mitigate the spread of the disease are evident" causes of the increase, as owners' vehicles were "left parked" and unattended and thus were vulnerable to thieves.

But Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen isn't buying it.

He says changes to state law that downgraded penalties for stealing a car are to blame, along with the pre-trial release and anti-prosecution practices of George Soros-backed Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.

“Please tell me how a virus makes people commit more crimes, makes people steal more cars,” he told the Denver Gazette.

McCann has drawn criticism for ignoring car theft cases in the city.

"Beth McCann is the District Attorney of Denver and disregards these cases. We need somebody who will use common sense to look at these numbers and do something about curbing auto theft. The insurance companies and individuals are tired of paying out," said a Change.org petition calling on McCann to prosecute car thieves. "Beth McCann needs to act now on auto theft or step down for someone who will do the job. First thing is to hold the criminals accountable."

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Car Theft Colorado

37,000 cars are now stolen per year in Colorado, an increase of 86 percent since 2019.

Region	2019	2020	2021	19-21 CHG
Denver Metro	12,884	19,738	27,443	113%
Eastern CO	212	307	299	41%
Northern CO	1,867	2,496	3,028	62%
Southwest CO	367	493	436	19%
Southern CO	4,100	3,904	4,878	19%
Western CO	439	726	823	87%
TOTAL	19,869	27,664	36,907	86%

	Most Popular vehicles to steal in Colorado		# Stolen
1	Chevrolet Silverado		1875
2	Ford F-250		1188
3	Honda Civic		1100
4	Honda Accord		1060
5	Hyundai Sonata		1009
6	Kia Optima		985
7	GMC Sierra		827
8	Kia Sportage		709
9	Ford F-350		667
10	Hyundai Tucson		661

Source: Colorado Dept. of Public Safety