Lawmakers look to sti en penalty for auto theft

Sheri s support it, others do not

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Imagine walking out of your home or work or the store, and your car isn’t where you left it. Panicked, you call the police to report a theft. at’s the scenario thousands of

Coloradans have likely endured in recent years as motor vehicle thefts have become a notoriously common crime in the state.

State lawmakers want to change that, putting forth a bill with support from Republicans and Democrats that would tighten the penalty for auto theft. Local law enforcement leaders, too, are on board.

“Stolen vehicles in the state of Colorado is the nexus for many crimes in our communities,” said

Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly. “Many people who are intent on committing crimes, be it burglaries, robberies, homicide, or breaking into other vehicles to get valuables from those vehicles or sell those vehicles on the black market or to fuel a drug habit, they often do that in a stolen vehicle.”

Colorado’s number of attempted and completed auto thefts stayed relatively consistent from 2008 to 2014 but started rising in the next