The offending vehicles are known as \u201cpuffer cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, this is a problem,\u201d said Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin. \u201cWe have had many vehicles stolen from our residents and visitors because of puffer cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office is part of Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement, or BATTLE team, and Nowlin said that deputies would be conducting \u201cpuffer patrols\u201d throughout the winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to prevent auto thefts and educate our citizens to the dangers,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n
According to CAAT officials, the term \u201cpuffer car\u201d came about because of the clear message that\u2019s sent to would-be car thieves as a result of the smoke that emits from exhaust pipes on cold days.<\/p>\n
\u201cAuto theft is a matter of public safety,\u201d Colorado State Patrol Chief Col. Scott Hernandez warned in a statement. \u201cWarming up a car on a winter day may not seem like a big risk in the moment, but the result is all too often providing easy, free transportation to a car thief intent on committing serious, violent crimes including bank robberies, homicides and home invasions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Montezuma County sheriff\u2019s deputies won\u2019t issue citations for puffer violations, Nowlin also issued a strong warning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your vehicle is stolen while left unattended, there is a strong possibility that your auto insurance will not pay for your loss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A grant from the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority has helped fund a public awareness campaign aimed to reduce auto theft through a common sense approach: \u201cLock It or Lose It.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a 2014 survey by Talmey-Drake Research, 70 percent of Coloradans indicated that an unattended running car is a top way that cars get stolen, yet nearly a quarter of respondents indicated that they\u2019ve done it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPuffers\u201d accounted for nearly 15 percent of all auto thefts in 2013, averaging seven stolen vehicles per day, 35 per week. Not surprisingly, cold-season months, with the peak month being January, produced the highest number of \u201cpuffer\u201d thefts, CATT said.<\/p>\n
For more information, including a map that indicates the safety of your neighborhood, visit LockdownYourCar.org.<\/p>\n