DENVER — While auto theft continues to decline in Colorado, the state remains one of the worst for stolen cars. One solution for catching car thieves is a device called a Grappler that officers can deploy off the front of specially equipped vehicles.
It's quite easy for police officers to find stolen cars while on patrol, but recovering those cars is not always so simple. That's where the Grappler comes in. The device wraps around a vehicle’s rear tire, seizing up the rear wheel and stopping the car from moving.
“It’s almost becoming a nightly thing,” said Cmdr. John Pickard with the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority - Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force (CMATT).
CMATT has access to two vehicles with the technology and recently staffed additional operators to run those cars. Over the past two weeks, at least six stolen vehicles have been recovered using the Grappler technology, Pickard said.
Multiple agencies declined to release video of the Grappler being used, citing concerns over tactical information.
“There are certain tactics that we deploy that we’d rather not share, for practical reasons, and for safety of the officers,” Pickard said.
He said he hopes would-be thieves know the technology is out there and think twice about potential crimes.
“It will stop the car from going, and anyone that learns about it should know if they get Grappled, just give up, the gig is up, just be done with it,” he said.
Auto thefts are down 36% so far in 2024 compared to 2023, continuing a downward trend over the past two years.
“We’re trending in a real good way; however, we’re still the No. 1 state per capita in motor vehicle theft, which gives you a good idea of how high we were, to still be No. 1,” Pickard said.
RELATED: Keys to avoiding car theft
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS