Car theft has really started getting out of hand in Colorado over the last year. To add fuel to the fire, whenever car thieves get caught, they are often released with little more than a ticket that says they have to go to court at a later date. Police departments report that they have their hands tied when it comes to punishing car thieves, and most judges and DAs in Colorado are reluctant to press charges or hold car thieves in jail. This is unjust because it reinforces car thieves for their malevolent actions. It emboldens them to keep on stealing once they realize that they won't face any real consequences. Car theft is a much worse problem than we might think. Insurance companies often give low ball reimbursements for stolen cars and many people go without comprehensive insurance that would reimburse for theft because it's too expensive to be worth it. Our vehicles are often an important part of our livelihood and often have sentimental value that far exceeds their market value. It's a travesty that someone else could so easily steal our vehicles that we bought with our hard earned money, and often put sweat equity into maintaining or upgrading, and not face any real consequences. The laws and policies of Colorado need to change so that car theft is always a felony, and higher bonds need to be set for people who are arrested for car theft, especially for repeat offenders, and once convicted, car theft should always be punishable with significant jail time.