DENVER — A new law takes effect in Colorado on Saturday, aimed at bringing car thefts down. Until now, some car thefts were misdemeanors.
In the first four months of this year, compared to last year, Colorado State Patrol reported auto thefts dropped 22%.
Denver police said convictions can be difficult to get in car theft cases. For the last three months they've been trying a new strategy: A pilot program called the Denver Auto Theft Team.
"We're pleased so far with how the pilot has developed," said Denver Police Commander Jacob Herrera.
So far the team has made 104 total arrests and recovered 80 stolen vehicles. Compared to this time last year, Denver Police report 660 fewer stolen cars.
The team targets car theft hot spots, and it includes undercover officers trying to catch thieves not only in the act, but also on camera.
"We don't wait for a car to be stolen. We're out there looking at any given point city wide," said Commander Herrera, "If we have a picture of you using a screw driver, and the screw driver's in your pocket, they're able to to put together better cases that are going to result in better convictions to incapacitate these offenders longer."
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas extended the team for another three months. This summer they plan to target different areas and plan to use better cameras. Herrera said residents also have a role to play in reducing car thefts.
Herrera wants people to sign up for DenverTrack, so that if your car gets stolen, his team can track and recover it.
“We created this team to meet citizens halfway. If you’ll do the work and register your vehicle for DenverTrack, we’ve created this special team if your car gets stolen. So we can track it and make an arrest in real time," said Herrera.
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