In an effort to make Broomfield’s voice heard, Mayor Guyleen Castriotta testified Monday, Feb. 27, in support of Senate Bill 97, (SB-97) which contains recommendations regarding motor vehicle offenses. Castriotta feels this bill is a step in the right direction to hold offenders accountable and protect the City and County of Broomfield residents from auto theft and destruction.
At the hearing, the mayor testified as to the bullets below:
- I am here to testify, as a resident of Broomfield, in strong support of Senate bill SB-97
- Residents in our community, like all communities, depend on their vehicles for transportation to school and work, to medical appointments and important daily life activities.
- The last three years auto thefts have wreaked havoc on over 1,100 residents of Broomfield - each year seeing a substantial increase:
- In 2020 we had 283 auto thefts, which increased to 380 in 2021, and a staggering 395 in 2022 - what once was an occasional occurrence has now become a daily fixture for our community and for our police department.
- What once was someone breaking out a window and hot wiring a vehicle has now become deadly encounters as criminals become more brazen and defiant. This bill is as much for our Broomfield Police Department as it is for our residents.
- Broomfield has spent the last year exploring how to bring a swifter, more impactful municipal ordinance to impact this ongoing deadly threat to our community. Due to existing statues we, as a local government, found the barriers were not something we could overcome.
- We are grateful that this body is acting in our stead, as this bill may be a step toward decreasing the number of auto theft victims in our community by creating a deterrence and disincentive to future criminal activity.
- While there are no silver bullets, no pun intended, to combat the ongoing, brazen criminal activities occurring, we should be taking every step possible to keep our community and our police officers safer.
- Lastly, and equally important, this bill would treat all victims of auto theft as they should be treated - equally, no matter the value of their car.
- Thank you for your time and for supporting SB-97.
SB-97 passed out of committee on Feb. 27 with a vote of 5-0 and is now onto appropriations.