LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Kim Shanks planned on going to the Lakewood Police Department on June 1 to pick up a free AirTag to put in her car. The police department was hosting a free installation clinic for its auto-theft prevention tools.
Lakewood Police are using grant funds from the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority to provide free Apple AirTags, Tile trackers and steering locks.
CAPTA reports show reported car thefts statewide were down 21% from 2022 to 2023. CAPTA said there were 8,000 fewer vehicles stolen year-to-year.
Shanks, though, found herself on the wrong side of that statistic. When she walked out of her apartment the morning of the clinic, she realized she wouldn't be going anywhere.
"Gone," Shanks said. "Just completely gone."
She said her Kia Sorento was taken from her apartment complex sometime between the evening of May 30 and the morning of June 1.
"It’s just senseless because, trying to wrap my brain around why someone would think it’s OK to steal someone else’s property. Like, that’s their livelihood," Shanks said. "That’s how they take their kids to school."
Shanks said she also had her Kia stolen from her three years ago.
"I stayed at my parents' house in Lakewood, and they live not too far from here, and I walked out to go get my car that morning and my car was just gone," Shanks said.
She said she feels like she wasted money on anti-theft protections she thought would keep her car safe.
"Obviously, the alarm that I paid so much for didn’t do anything either. So I'm wondering, what can deter these thieves from doing this, when we’re taking the extra care and spending money and taking time out of our lives, and here they can come in a matter of seconds and take our cars from us," Shanks said.
Shanks said Denver Police found her car at a Motel 6 on Thursday. It had been nearly three weeks since it went missing.
She was happy to hear it had been found, but she knew it wasn't going to be in the same state as she had left it.
"Not even feeling comfortable getting in my car because someone has rummaged through it," Shanks said. "And just feeling disgusting because knowing someone you didn’t give permission to was in your car and thought so little of your family and feelings, and they stole it."
Shanks said in addition to feeling physically violated, memories shared with her son in her car are also tainted.
"He has his favorite rocks in the cupholders in the back and different things he’s found from our hikes, outdoor activities. So just knowing someone was in there messing with our things, treasures, even though they don’t cost anything, they’re just irreplaceable things that were memories from our adventures together," Shanks said.
Shanks went to the Denver impound to pick up the car Monday. She was told she would need a screwdriver to try to start it since some of the parts had been ripped out.
But this was only the beginning of problems with the car. She found out more of the wiring had been ripped out and the car is undrivable.
She said she will have to get it towed and think about next steps.
"Figure out another security system, upgrade it, get a better one, AirTag and the bar on the steering wheel and see if that makes a difference, before going to Plan B of trading in this car for another one," she said.
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