LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Lakewood Police are offering city residents free toolkits armed with anti-car-theft devices to help combat the crime.
> Video above aired Jan. 5: Fewer cars stolen in Colorado than previous years
In a video post, Russ Johnson with the Lakewood Police Department said they obtained some state grant funding to purchase Apple AirTags and Tile tracking devices.
"We also have purchased the steering wheel Club locking devices and we've gotten stickers printed up we can give to citizens so that they can equip their vehicle with these items and hopefully reduce the possibility of their car being stolen," Johnson said in the video.
People who sign up receive a decal to place on their car's window identifying the car as being part of the theft-prevention program to deter potential thieves.
The department said the police are not tracking residents with the free tracking devices they are giving away. They said the tracker is given directly to the resident, who sets up a private account that police do not have access to.
"If it's stolen, then the owner of that device can choose to share it with us at that time and then we just get the tracking on that stolen vehicle," Johnson said.
The police said they hope the new program "will help reduce the number of these thefts or at least increase the chances of recovery."
Those interested in participating in the program can visit the Lakewood Police crime prevention webpage and click "Car Theft Prevention" to make an appointment.
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