A mother in Denver, Colorado, felt compelled to recover her stolen vehicle after being told no officers were available to respond to the crime.
On Monday, Holly Kaufman used a tracking app to locate her stolen Mazda SUV. The mobile app, supplied by Mazda, allowed Kaufman to turn off the vehicle’s engine and initiate emergency alarms.
The Post Millennial reported that with the vehicle located and shut down, Kaufman called 911, seeking immediate assistance, fearing thieves would soon strip the car. However, a 911 operator told her no officers were available to assist her.
The outlet added that the Denver Police Department has warned against confronting car thieves, advising citizens to register their vehicles with a tracking program to “aid law enforcement in finding vehicles more quickly in the case of a theft.”
Denver mom finds her own stolen car after dispatch says there isn't "anyone on duty to help"https://t.co/CpPrXZBK4rhttps://t.co/CpPrXZBK4r
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 29, 2024
Kaufman told Fox affiliate KDVR that she believed a timely response was imperative. “In the past, I’ve had a vehicle stolen and they rip out your whole car, tear everything up, try to live in it and put drugs in it.”
Kaufman said of the dispatcher: “She (the dispatcher) is like, ‘Ma’am, you are going to put yourself in danger.’ She said they don’t have anyone on duty to help me right now, so I said, ‘OK, this is the address I’m going to be at. I’m going to be there in five minutes and you can either meet me or I’ll be getting my car.'”
Intent on recovering her vehicle, Kaufman drove to a Safeway parking lot where the tracking app indicated the car would be. She arrived approximately 15 minutes later, finding her vehicle undamaged but with scattered trash inside.
Grateful but angry, Kaufman added, “I just feel super violated, and at that point in time, there is nothing that was going to change my mind, I was getting my car, I knew they didn’t have time, so I just got it myself. I’m not advising people to do what I did, but at some point, something needs to change.”
Briefly commenting on the economy and crime in her city, she said, “I’m a working mom and it’s hard nowadays to make car payments. This is a car that I carry my 4-year-old son in, so I’m like, ‘This not happening in my car.'”
Multiple reports note that crime is on the rise in Denver and surrounding communities. A Fox31 Denver News report noted that in 2012, Colorado’s crime rate was ranked 31st in the nation, but by 2022, Colorado’s crime rate was the “4th highest in the US.”
