10/21/2022
Our PIO doesn’t want to be “that guy” but it’s kind of his job (and we’re fairly certain he was the “you forgot to give us homework!” on Friday kid 🤨)…so maybe he does want to be “that guy.”
It’s the time of the year where we remind you to please not “puff,” or start your vehicle and then leave it running UNATTENDED and WITHOUT an anti-theft device installed ✍️.
And then some of you get real heated (pun initially not intended, but now very much intended) at us for telling you...If only there was some saying about not harming the person who just delivers news?
Anyway, our PIO is a huge fan of bullet points in writing and brevity in his soft-spoken words. When asked about it he said, “Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?”
In that spirit, here are some bullet points about puffing:
- “Puffing” is a car that is running, unattended and without an anti-theft device (key in ignition).
- Yes, if you can auto start your car you are good to warm it up.
- No, it doesn’t count if you have a second set of keys and you locked the doors.
- Yes, devices like a steering wheel or pedal lock count as anti-theft devices.
- No, you still can’t do it if you’re going inside “real quick.”
- Yes, lots of vehicle theft calls from puffers every morning during the colder months.
- Yes, last year we saw a 447% increase in puffer thefts from 10/1/21 – 1/14/22.
- Yes, we have officers out warning and, if necessary, ticketing owners of puffing vehicles.
In case you forgot, Colorado is #1 in the nation in auto thefts. As a state, we average about 4,000 auto thefts per month, costing Coloradoans an estimated $460 - $848 million (just this year). These vehicles are often used in the commission of additional crimes.
Help us, to help you. Please don’t puff. These unattended vehicle thefts take literal seconds.
And please 🙏 call us if you see suspicious vehicles and/or persons “lurking,” “slow rolling,” “creepin” or whatever you call going “awfully slow there buddy…”
Stay warm. Stay Safe.