Auto thefts on the rise across Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to Colorado State Patrol, auto thefts are on the rise across Colorado.

In the last five years, the number of vehicles being stolen increased by 88%. In 2021, 37,000 auto thefts were reported.

Locally, Pueblo saw more than 1,200 cars stolen last year. However, the Pueblo Police Department told KRDO they do manage to get a lot of the stolen vehicles back.

"Obviously we would rather not even deal with a stolen vehicle, to begin with, but we have a decent recovery rate," said Sgt. Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department.

In a report released in February by the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, authorities call these "crimes of opportunity" and say one of the biggest factors is owner "apathy" or "complacency."

Colorado State Patrol says more and more people are leaving their cars unlocked, spare keys inside, and even their cars locked with the keys inside.

"A lot of criminals if you give them the opportunity they’ll steal vehicles," explained Ortega. "We’ve put out several posts about puffing."

The biggest concern is that a majority of the vehicles being stolen are used for more serious crimes because the vehicles can't be traced back to the suspect.

"The vast majority of drive-by shootings, burglaries, robberies that we have, involve stolen vehicles," said Ortega. "There’s a lot of theft between Pueblo and Springs. Criminals steal cars up there and commit crimes down here and steal vehicle here and commit crimes up in the Springs," said Ortega.

Colorado State Patrol says besides being cautious about having your car stolen, some victims buy cars that seem like a great deal only to find out they've bought a stolen car.