Students at Emily Griffith Technical College will provide catalytic converter etching and install tamper-resistant license plate screws for drivers Friday, in an effort to make their cars less attractive for thieves, in a partnership with the Denver Police Department.

Denver residents had to pre-register for the event at the school, and registrations have already filled, according to a news release from Denver Police. Attendees will receive catalytic converter etching, steering wheel locks and tamper-resistant license plate screws for free. They can also sign up for the DenverTrack program, which shares their vehicle information to police and authorizes the department to track the car using an an already installed GPS device if it is stolen.

Denver police deploys new approach to reducing auto thefts with tracking program

Denver police launched the program earlier this month to tackle stubbornly high motor vehicle thefts in the metro Denver area. The program is intended to help find stolen cars faster by getting owners’ consent ahead of time to use tracking data. Police said they also hope stickers people receive to put on their cars announcing their participation in the program will help deter potential thieves.

The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority has supplied the etching kits, and the money for steering wheel locks came from the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Sloan’s Lake Citizen’s Group, according to the release. 

Searching for reasons behind Colorado's spike in car thefts

Catalytic converter etching allows people to mark that part of their car with a unique number and also register it online.

Students in Emily Griffith’s Automotive Service program will do the catalytic converter etching and license plate screw installation as part of hands-on training.