“Puffers” A Car Thieves Dream
December marks the beginning of “puffer season”, when car thieves find cars that are warming up but left unattended.
The cold weather this time of year makes it easy to spot, the exhaust lets thieves know if the car is running or not, Sgt. Larry Herbert with the Colorado Springs police department said that when the weather gets cold the thefts go up.
“We do have quite a problem in Colorado Springs with auto thefts as you may know we’re one of the highest cities in the state for cars that are stolen each year”, according to Herbert.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), in 2010 Colorado Springs and Pueblo rank 2nd and 3rd in the state for the most auto thefts.
The FBI states that a motor vehicle is stolen in the US every 40 seconds and that only 52 percent are recovered.
“Puffers” only make it easier for thieves to steal cars. Leaving your car running in Colorado is against the law.
