Auto Theft Prevention Act

This bill would set up a federal grant program to help police stop car theft and trafficking of stolen vehicles. The Department of Justice’s COPS Office must start the program within 60 days of the law taking effect. Each state’s attorney general would receive a grant sized by that state’s recent auto theft levels, then pass money down: at least 50% must go to local police through competitive subgrants (with priority for places hit hardest), at least 25% must support state police, and the rest can be split as needed between local and state agencies .

The money can pay for tools like license plate readers and police vehicles (plus data storage and subscription costs), hiring and overtime, training, joint task forces, and data and research, with up to 5% allowed for admin costs. It authorizes $30 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030. The bill also lets existing COPS grants be used for the same kinds of anti–auto theft efforts. States, D.C., and U.S. territories are included.

• Who is affected: State and local law enforcement; communities with high levels of car theft; all states, D.C., and U.S. territories .
• What changes: New grants focused on car theft; required pass-throughs to local and state agencies; allowed uses include equipment, staffing, overtime, training, task forces, and data/research .
• When: Program begins within 60 days after enactment; funding is authorized for 2026–2030 .