Data Shows Significant Decline in Motor Vehicle Theft in Colorado and the 17th Judicial District Following Legislative Change
In 2023, Colorado law enforcement agencies and district attorney offices, particularly in the Denver metro are, undertook significant efforts to curb the concerning rise in motor vehicle theft. District Attorney Brian Mason and his colleagues submitted legislation to the Colorado State Legislature to make all motor vehicle thefts a felony and to enhance the penalties for this crime. The Legislature passed the bill and the new law took effect in July of 2023. State and local law enforcement combined forces to strategically combat this crime on the front end, while District Attorneys, including DA Brian Mason and his staff, fought for stiffer penalties in court.
These efforts are now showing results. The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority announced at the beginning of 2024 that motor vehicle theft is rapidly declining across the state. CATPA noted a 10,000 theft decrease from 2022 to 2023, and the stolen vehicle was located in nearly all of those 2023 cases. CATPA said the number of thefts reached a three-year low following a period where Colorado became the nationwide leader in motor vehicle thefts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Denver International Airport, which became a hot spot for thieves, also saw a drastic decrease in the number of motor vehicle thefts. Enhanced security measures in the parking lots as well as significant law enforcement focus, such as the grand jury indictment that came from our office in late 2023, are seen as primary reasons for a drop in stolen cars at the airport.
Our data from the dashboard in the 17th Judicial District (Adams and Broomfield, CO) tracks with the information that CATPA announced in early 2024. As you will see in the chart below, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our office filed roughly 400 to 475 motor vehicle theft cases per year. That number spiked in 2020 and continued to rise drastically in 2021 and 2022. However, a dramatic decrease in the number of filed cases in 2023 could allow one to assume the enforcement efforts and the change in Colorado law may be moving us back to those pre-pandemic levels.
As we look closer at our individual municipalities, you’ll see significant decreases in the number of motor vehicle theft cases filed in Adams County, Broomfield, Commerce City, and Northglenn.
Much of the discussion surrounding motor vehicle theft has been on repeat offenders or those who commit more than one crime. The public felt that a lack of deterrence created an environment for repeat offenders to thrive. The data in our dashboard shows that the enhanced enforcement and change in state law may be impacting those who are considered repeat offenders as it relates to motor vehicle theft. The chart below shows from 2022 to 2023 the 17th Judicial District saw a 24% reduction of cases with a prior felony and misdemeanor conviction. We also saw a 23% reduction of cases from 2022 to 2023 for those with only a prior misdemeanor conviction.
What we are seeing in the data is that the time and effort spent to curb this problem is working. Colorado became a talking point across the country for its troublesome motor vehicle theft issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. District Attorneys and law enforcement agencies have gone to great lengths to get this problem under control, and while there is a long way to go, the data shows Colorado, and Adams/Broomfield Counties, are on the right track in the fight against motor vehicle theft.