The Colorado General Assembly gave the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) the ability to award grants to multi-agency auto theft prevention, enforcement, investigative and prosecution programs for the purpose of reducing motor vehicle theft in Colorado. CATPA awards approximately $5.7 million each year, contingent upon insurance assessment collections and available funding within the CATPA Cash Fund. The CATPA Board is committed to awarding grants that will reduce automobile theft in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Safety through the Colorado State Patrol is responsible for management of the grant program.
To learn more about these Grant opportunities and the application process, please visit the Colorado State Patrol – Official CATPA page
Active CATPA Grant Programs Include…
SB23-257 Grant Program
During the 2023 Colorado Regular Legislative Session, Senate Bill 2023-257 (SB23-257) passed and was signed into law by Governor Polis on June 2, 2023. SB23-257 provided CATPA with $5 million from the general fund to be used for the following purposes: 1) Implementing a statewide program to increase awareness of automobile theft; 2) Implementing programs to support victims of automobile theft; 3) Additional overtime for law enforcement agencies; 4) Implementing a dedicated automobile theft prosecution program; 5) Enhancing and upgrading the automobile theft tracking and reporting system; or 6) Any other direct or indirect costs associated with the implementation of the automobile theft prevention grant program.
Grant Period: October 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024
Date of Announcement: June 16, 2023
Application Deadline: July 13, 2023
Awarded SB23-257 Programs
Arvada PD – Drop Car Platform Kit
This is a single agency project awarded $20,000 for victims support and auto theft tracking reporting. Funds will cover the fee of providing motor vehicle theft reports for over 500 victims and installation of “drop car platforms” in the Community Response Impact Team’s unmarked police vehicles for the usage of surveillance operations.
Brighton PD – Office for Victim Assistance
This is a multi-jurisdictional project, including the cities of Brighton, Ft Lupton, Lochbuie, and Commerce City, and was awarded $381,594 for victims support and prevention/education. Funds will be used for victims support which will facilitate covering of approximately 600 auto theft victims’ tow fees, steering wheel locks and distribution of educational materials.
CATPA – Statewide Auto Theft Awareness Campaign
This is a multi-jurisdictional statewide public outreach project awarded $600,000 for education/outreach and victim support. The program will support statewide law enforcement agencies and will use marketing content for tv, radio, and other means to message auto theft awareness, will purchase anti-theft devices for distribution, support the Stealing Cars Loses Your Future program, the Sheridan PD Puffer to Protected program, and other individual agency initiatives across Colorado.
Colorado State Patrol – Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement
This is a statewide multi-jurisdictional project awarded $3,127,216 for victim support, auto theft tracking and reporting, and law enforcement overtime. This program will provide victim support for towing, cleaning and storage fees for 500 victims, auto theft tracking enhancements to allow all Colorado law enforcement agencies to join the Colorado Information Sharing Consortium and provide overtime funds for collaborative law enforcement auto theft operations.
Colorado District Attorneys Council – Enhanced Regional Auto Theft Prosecution Assessment
This is a statewide multi-jurisdictional project awarded $240,601 to perform research for a dedicated district attorney prosecution program. The project will support research utilizing research analysts, and to provide a formal study on prosecution practices as they relate to motor vehicle theft and a best practice guide for assembling a statewide dedicated district attorney’s prosecution initiative.
City of Lakewood – C-MATT – 257 Initiative
This is a multi-jurisdictional project awarded $69,351 for victims support and law enforcement overtime. The project will support purchase of steering wheel locks and provide overtime for collaborative law enforcement operations in the Denver-Lakewood metropolitan area.
Denver PD – CATPA Project
This is a single agency project awarded $470,373 for education/outreach, victims support, and law enforcement overtime. The project will support radio campaigns, RTD advertising, steering wheel locks, coverage of tow and cleaning fees for over 100 auto theft victims and law enforcement overtime for auto theft.
Lakewood PD – Auto Theft Reduction & Recovery Program
This is a single agency project awarded $190,851 for education, outreach, Victims Support, and Overtime. The project will have three outreach events which will include steering wheel locks, GPS tracking, catalytic converter etching labels, and distribute public information materials. Law enforcement overtime funds will be used for
HB22-1217 Catalytic Converter Identification and Theft Prevention Grant Program
During the 2022 Colorado Regular Legislative Session, House Bill 2022-1217 (HB22-1217) passed and was signed into law by Governor Polis on June 7, 2022. HB22-1217 provided CATPA with $300,000 from the general fund to be used for the following purposes: 1) Public awareness campaigns regarding catalytic converter theft, 2) Catalytic converter theft prevention parts, 3) Assistance to victims of catalytic converter theft, and 4) Catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts.
Grant Period: October 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024
Date of Announcement: July 28, 2023
Application Deadline: August 18, 2023
Application Information:
Further information can be found here.
Awarded HB22-1217 Programs
Awards for this program will be determined August 28, 2023.
SB08-60 CATPA Grant Program
During the 2003 Colorado Regular Legislative Session, House Bill 03-1251 (HB03-1251) passed and was signed into law by Governor ** on April 22, 2003 providing a grant program for improving and supporting automobile theft prevention programs. During the 2008 Colorado Legislative Session, Senate Bill 2008-060 (SB08-60) passed and was signed into law by Governor Ritter on June 3, 2008 amending HB03-1251. The existing grant program under SB08-060 provides funding for improving and supporting automobile theft prevention programs or programs for the enforcement or prosecution of automobile theft crimes through statewide planning and coordination. CATPA awards approximately $5.7 million each year, contingent upon insurance assessment collections and available funding within the CATPA Cash Fund. The CATPA Board is committed to awarding grants that will reduce automobile theft in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Safety through the Colorado State Patrol is responsible for management of the grant program.
Grant Period: July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024
Date of Announcement: November 18, 2023
Application Deadline: February 6, 2023
Awarded SB08-060 Grant Programs
Colorado Attorney General’s Office (AG’s)
The Attorney General’s Auto Theft Initiative (AG Initiative) was awarded $196,971 for a vertical prosecutor. This program works in conjunction with the CATPA taskforces and other law enforcement personnel, to: (1) identify significant auto theft criminal activity; (2) direct, organize and participate in targeted investigations involving multiple agencies; (3) and ultimately file appropriate charges or obtain indictments in cooperation with other state prosecutors. The AG Initiative emphasizes prosecuting individuals or groups of individuals working in a coordinated fashion such that the patterns of their conduct rise to the level of violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA).
Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center (ATICC)
This program was awarded $985,420.80. This program creates and provides timely and reliable information of statewide auto theft reports to law enforcement agencies across the state and beyond. In addition, ATTIC provides valuable data analysis to federal, tribal, national and state law enforcement agencies connecting the dots to numerous crimes.
Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement (BATTLE)
This program was awarded $1.696,630.70. BATTLE is a statewide law enforcement multi-agency task force providing agencies to work beyond their department limitations to combat auto theft. BATTLE aims to identify and arrest auto theft suspects, and recover stolen vehicles, by pooling resources utilizing advanced technology and sharing intelligence. BATTLE strives to increase communication among Colorado law enforcement agencies to identify chronic repeat offenders of vehicle crimes and collaborates with the CATPA metropolitan auto theft task force.
Colorado Auto Theft Investigators (CATI)
This program was awarded $300,688.50 for statewide training initiative to support law enforcement education pertaining to auto theft by providing basic, advance and specialized training across the state.
CATPA Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force (C-MATT)
This program was awarded $1,818,289 for full-time multi-agency enforcement task force initiative. This Denver-metro area investigative team increases communication and collaboration among auto theft investigators and takes a centralized approach in identifying, apprehending and prosecution of vehicle crime offenders, who normally commit crimes across multi-jurisdictional boundaries. C-MATT is instrumental in arresting multiple offenders including those involved and adjudicated in organized crime and collaborates with the CATPA statewide auto theft task force.
Further CATPA information can be found here. FY23 and FY24 CATPA Grant Documents.