Has your car been stolen? Only 10% of Coloradans using this car theft assistance program

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - In 2024, 24,575 vehicles were reported stolen across the state of Colorado. In that same year, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) only received a little more than 1,000 applications for victims' assistance.

This year, CATPA is only tracking that 10% of all auto theft victims have applied for assistance.

Losing your car can mean losing your job or your way to take your kids to school. CATPA is a state grant program built to help ease that burden.

"I just felt my heart was in my stomach."

In May, Timothy Calderwood said his life was turned upside down.

"At first, I didn't believe it, and then finally I saw on the ground, like a little piece of the door handle that they just pushed off, and that was the last I ever saw my car."

University of Colorado Colorado Springs student, Calderwood, just got home from working his full-time job when his car was stolen from his apartment parking lot.

Living paycheck to paycheck, he says he couldn't afford a replacement vehicle, so he had to share his girlfriend's car, which meant constantly being late to class and having to modify his working schedule. Mentally, the theft was a strain too, Calderwood said, it caused many sleepless nights as he juggled two schedules, a full-time job, while still going to school.

Which would've made him the perfect candidate for the CATPA victim assistance program.

"Generally speaking, we probably have 10% of all auto theft victims who apply for one of our victims' assistance initiatives," says Cale Gould from CATPA.

Gould says in 2024, there were more than 24,000 reported car thefts across the state; however, only about 1,000 applied for assistance.

"I had no idea that Colorado even did anything like that. I thought I was just on my own," says Calderwood.

Gould says they can provide up to $5,000 to help with temporary transportation options, such as bus passes, ride-sharing services, or rental vehicles.

"We don't get nearly as many applications as we do car stolen, and we'd love to close that gap for sure," Gould said.

And if your stolen car is found, CATPA says they can help with towing and storage fees, cleaning fees, and even theft prevention devices to prevent future theft.

Calderwood says he was able to receive an old vehicle from his mom, but he has yet to find his stolen car.

For more information on this program, click here.

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