Changes to auto theft laws in Colorado set to take effect

Across the Denver Metro area, hundreds of vehicles are stolen every day.

On Monday thieves made off with Joanna Rosa-Saenz's minivan from the street in front of her home.

"This is my only vehicle I'm a single mom of three kids, I need this vehicle," she said.

She used a tracker to find it had police responded but couldn't take it home at the time and thieves took off in it again.

She found for the second time not far from the first location.

"We found it, the tow truck arrived I made sure it went on the tow truck," Rosa-Saenz said.

In Littleton, George Racz's son's SUV was stolen from in front of their home.

"It had my grandson, who just turned two, it had his car seat, his stroller most of his toys. My son was in the process of moving," he said.

Both are impacted in the same way.

"It's a total loss," Racz said.

But depending on the value of those vehicles the penalty for the thieves could be different, in some cases maybe even a misdemeanor crime.

"We haven't been able to hold them accountable we haven't been able to give them that level of risk that prevents them from wanting to commit the crime," commander John Pickard with CATPA's Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force said.

On July 1, Colorado law will change increasing penalties around auto theft including linking the charges to a value.

"All motor vehicle thefts will be felonies," Pickard said.

Colorado will also change to increase penalties for repeat offenders and add language that includes those who both knew they were in a stolen vehicle or should have reasonably known.

Pickard hopes the changes will not only deter auto theft but impact crime overall.

"A lot of cars are being stolen to commit other crimes so it's a predecessor to other activity which makes it more serious," Pickard said.

Racz found that was the case with his son's vehicle when a homeowner not far away shared surveillance video of what appears to show it being used to try and steal another car.

That owner tried to intervene but stopped when one of the thieves pulled out a gun.

"My main concern was this person is armed and willing to shoot someone over a theft of an automobile," Racz said.

While it may be too late to impact their cases, both victims say the changes are needed.

"It's been a long time that it has needed to change," Racz said.

"I think it's a great implementation that our city needs," Rosa-Saenz said.

Even though Joanna found her van it was destroyed, she's now launched an online fundraiser to help replace it.

In Racz's case he's reported everything to both Littleton and Englewood Police and hopes someone may recognize the thief in that video.

Pickard says even with the change's vehicle owners need to work on prevention like removing valuables from your vehicle, or simply remembering to lock the doors.