J1000
Rising Sun Member
Yep, in CO auto theft is a tiered crime based on the value of the vehicle. If it's under a certain amount of money it's a misdemeanor, if it's above $xx then it's a felony. Not only that but having a tiered system allows prosecutors to offer plea bargains to lower the severity of the crime. So yes they can be out of jail same day. It also offers the thieves legal defenses they can argue our 20 year old Toyotas are only worth $2k. Denver and other "progressive" cities do this all the time and put criminals back on the streets in record time.While I have this idea that the airport could do more, I'd put my money on them having spent a lot more time looking at this issue than we ever will.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say it likely doesn't matter if they intercept these guys or not if they get released the next day and are back with a bit more experience on how to avoid getting caught.
"Under current law, the severity of criminal offenses for auto thefts in Colorado depends on the value of the stolen vehicle — ranging from a class 1 misdemeanor for a car worth $2,000 or less, to a class 3 felony for a car worth $100,000 or more."
Colorado Senate passes proposal to crack down on car theft
Supporters of Senate Bill 23-097 argue that the status quo "simply doesn’t make sense.” Critics say charging thieves with harsher offenses would not deter theft if the criminals are not
www.coloradopolitics.com