Author: Cale Gould

Auto theft is up and its time to protect yourself

Download the FULL Report HERE

AUTO THEFT INTELLIGENCE COORDINATION CENTER (ATICC)
(U) Purpose: The Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center (ATICC) is a Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) funded initiative that serves the Colorado auto theft law enforcement community. ATICC provides information, intelligence, and analytical judgments on the occurrence of auto theft and its related crimes. The ATICC report includes observations of the crime of statewide motor vehicle theft, with a 5-year comparison, and CATPA regional area statistical data.

Disclaimer: Information contained in the Stolen Vehicle Database Repository (SVDR) is considered dynamic; modifications to records are made on a daily basis. Stolen vehicle records were screened for accuracy and normalized for standardization prior to use in this analysis. Data pulled for the analytical modeling occurred on 23 February 2023 for the ATICC annual reporting for aggregate theft and recovery data. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent.

Key Findings

• Colorado continued to be a leading state in the nation for auto thefts per capita and volume in 2022. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• In 2022, there were 41,520 vehicles reported stolen to the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC), which is the reporting repository for criminal justice reporting utilized by law enforcement agencies in the state. In 2022, 4,371 more vehicles were stolen compared to 2021, accounting for a 12% increase. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• The 41,520 vehicles stolen represents a $380,572,320 average dollar loss in 2022 using the FBI assessed latest average dollar loss per stolen vehicle in the United States at $9,166. (2020 economic data)
• In the past five (5) years, the number of reported stolen vehicles has increased 98%. There were 20,946 vehicles stolen in 2018 and 41,520 vehicles stolen in 2022. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• In the past five (5) years, the rate of reported stolen vehicles per capita has increased 93%. In 2018, there were 368 stolen vehicles per 100,000 residents compared to 711 stolen vehicles per 100,000 residents in 2022. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• The pace of the percentage increase of reported stolen vehicles slowed over the past three (3) years. Motor vehicle theft experienced a 40% increase from 2019-2020, that rate dropped to a 31% increase from 2020-2021, and further to a 12% increase from 2021-2022. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• In 2022, motor vehicle theft data demonstrates that 55% of reported stolen vehicles are recovered outside the municipality where the motor vehicle theft occurred, indicating the crime of motor vehicle theft is a multijurisdictional criminal event. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• Colorado Courts, cases/dockets filed in 2022 indicate that 4,288 (76%) of the 5,610 cases/dockets filed involved other criminal charges related to the motor vehicle theft incident. (Colorado Courts 2022 MVT and Associated Offense Charge Data, 2022)
• From the 5,610 cases/dockets filed, 1,322 (24%) contained the sole charge of motor vehicle theft. (Colorado Courts 2022 MVT and Associated Offense Charge Data, 2022)
• According to the Colorado Courts data, 11% of cases/dockets filed contained violent crime charges associated to motor vehicle theft in 2022, per the definition of Colorado Revised Statute, “Crime of Violence”. (Colorado Courts 2022 MVT and Associated Offense Charge Data, 2022)
• The charge of “F3, Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft w/Two Prior” convictions or adjudications occurred in 5% of the cases/dockets filed. (Colorado Courts 2022 MVT and Associated Offense Charge Data, 2022)
• Catalytic converter thefts continued to be problematic in 2022. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), catalytic converter thefts have increased 1,215% nationally between 2019-2022. (National Insurance Crime Bureau, 2023)
• In 2022, Chevrolet Silverado and Kia Sportage were the two (2) most stolen vehicles by volume in Colorado. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)
• The “make” Hyundai and Kia vehicles accounted for 25% (10,318) of all reported motor vehicle thefts in the state. (Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center; Stolen Vehicle Database Repository)

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) to combat catalytic converter theft and will be distributing free CatETCH labels to community members. The CatETCH labels each have a unique identifying number that can be applied to a catalytic converter by the vehicle owner or a mechanic. Catalytic converter labeling will allow identification of your catalytic converter in the event it is stolen and later recovered by law enforcement. The unique identification code is entered into a federal database.

Community members are required to complete a registration form, please follow this link (https://forms.office.com/g/2PJS2guCGQ), prior to picking up their kit. During the registration process we will be collecting the community members email address, zip code, vehicle year, vehicle make and model, license plate number, vehicle identification number, and resident’s city. Up to three vehicles can be registered at a time.

After completing the registration process community members will schedule a time and location (from the list below) to pick up their CatETCH kits:

Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters
5600 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO

Town of Superior Sheriff’s Office Substation
405 Center Drive, Unit F, Superior, CO

Town of Lyons Sheriff’s Office Substation
430 5th Ave, Lyons, CO 80540

The businesses below are willing to install apply the CatETCH kits during a scheduled maintenance for your vehicle. Please contact them directly for specific information, including any associated costs. It is likely your own auto mechanic may be willing to install these kits as well.

Brakes Plus, Superior
90 McCaslin Boulevard, Superior, CO
(720) 304-3343

1040 5th Avenue, Lyons, 80540
303-823-0516

403 Broadway, Lyons, CO
303-823-6760

505 West Main Street, Lyons, CO
303-823-0106

If you have specific questions about this program, you can send an email to
sheriffcattheftkit@bouldercounty.org