AURORA, Colo. (AP) -- No one likes sitting in a cold car. But Aurora Police want to remind drivers they make their vehicles easy targets for thieves when they leave them running unattended.
Aurora Police recently launched a crackdown on "puffers," or cars left running to heat up. During a single morning last week, police issued 94 warnings, four tickets and recovered two stolen vehicles.
Authorities say car thefts spike in winter as thieves troll neighborhoods looking for running cars.
In 2007, Aurora officials raised the fine for leaving "puffers" from $15 to $75. The next year, car thefts dropped more than 20 percent.
Information from: The Aurora Sentinel, http://www.aurorasentinel.com/
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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