Auto theft is often thought of as a victimless crime, but in reality everyone is a victim when vehicles are stolen, because people ultimately pay for it through higher insurance rates.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg News published a story identifying the top 10 cities in the United States with the highest per-capita rate of vehicle thefts in 2016. Pueblo was second on the list, which used the National Insurance Crime Bureau report as its source.

"The bottom line is that auto theft going up in Pueblo does contribute ultimately to what we pay in car insurance and higher rates," said Carol Walker, a spokeswoman for the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.

Walker said stolen vehicles are one of the factors that can contribute to higher insurance rates.

"When you think of your car insurance, there are different coverages. Comprehensive coverage is what covers you if your car is stolen," Walker said.

"However, at the same time it also covers you for hail and flooding. So, unfortunately, the state also is ranked second in the nation for hail insurance claims, and Southern Colorado has been hit very hard."

Walker said the spike in auto theft across the state adds up to about $100 million in value of property.

"So there is a dollar value unfortunately to stolen vehicles. Of course there also is a public safety concern to see Pueblo ranked second on a list like that. At the same time, we all pay for it," Walker said.

Walker said the state is on a collision course with what people are paying for car insurance and seeing it spike so dramatically.

"It's Mother Nature unleashing hail year after year and auto theft going up 50 percent, and it's also that cars are more expensive to repair than they were before because of all the technology," she said.

"We are also at a very litigious lawsuit environment where it is very easy to sue insurance companies, and so insurance companies at this point are really trying to keep up with those high costs to pay claims and those increased claims."

Pueblo had a rate of approximately 900 auto thefts per 100,000 residents, according to Bloomberg.

Walker said while the state is seeing auto theft increasing, there are resources being put toward preventing it.

She is a part of the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority; Pueblo is part of the southern task force.

"Every insurance company is required to collect a dollar on every insured vehicle every year, and it goes into the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. It's a granting authority that is set up to combat auto theft through the state Legislature," Walker said.

"That money goes toward multijurisdictional task forces. So law enforcement efforts increase to combat auto theft. There is also prevention and education training."

One of those preventions is to not leave keys in your automobile. Walker said comprehensive insurance still covers vehicle owners in those situations, but it is highly encouraged not to do it.

Pueblo reached a record for auto theft reports in 2016, recording 1,216 -- which equates to roughly three a day and about 102 a month. That number marked a 35 percent increase from 2015, when there were 899 auto thefts reported. Through May 31, there had been 463 auto thefts in Pueblo.

"Auto theft is part of the drug crime increase and the homicide increase, because usually there is a stolen vehicle involved with those other crimes," Walker said.

Pueblo police have said that the majority of auto thefts in Pueblo consist of individuals stealing cars across town and using them for a variety of reasons, including to transport crime suspects or drugs.

Walker said the state is always looking at trends in an effort to determine why auto theft is on the rise.

"One of the biggest things we are seeing is the relationships to other crimes," she said.

"From an insurance perspective, what they are looking at is claim trends. They are looking at not just one year, but over a period of time."

Walker said insurance companies analyze what they are paying out in claims, "Whether those are stolen vehicles, whether those are hail claims or whether those are increased car crashes. Unfortunately, CDOT is also reporting that fatalities are up 24 percent over a two-year period.

"It really is the perfect storm and, unfortunately, auto theft is a part of that."

anthonym@chieftain.com

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Stolen vehicles in Pueblo contribute to higher insurance rates - Pueblo Chieftain