DENVER — It's a story we've heard quite frequently.
People would park at Denver International Airport (DIA), leave for a trip and come back, only to find their car gone.
According to numbers released by the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA), those numbers seem to be finally turning around. November 2023 saw a big decrease in car thefts, down to 11, compared to 39 in November of 2022 and 61 vehicle thefts in October 2023.
December 2023 also saw a similar decrease with ten car thefts, compared to 37 in 2022.
“One auto theft at DEN is one too many. But through a focused and coordinated effort with our partners throughout 2023 to improve and increase security measures, surveillance, and enforcement, we have finally begun to see thefts at DEN trending down,” said Phil Washington, CEO at Denver International Airport. “We will stay vigilant and continue our joint efforts to ensure vehicles are safe while parked at DEN.”
It's important to note that the numbers shown are based on actual numbers of vehicles stolen, not theft incidents or police reports. According to Cale Gould at CATPA, stolen vehicle data come straight from the Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center, of whom maintains a real-time stolen vehicle database based on Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).
As for the exceptionally high number of stolen cars during the 2023 summer months, Gould attributes a wide majority of those to 13 individuals who were later indicted for alleged motor vehicle thefts and burglaries. The drop in thefts also happens to coincide with several security improvements that were made by DIA to mitigate auto thefts.
Measures taken included the installation of new HALO cameras, increased presence of security officers across the lots, and introducing new barriers to help prevent people from leaving parking exit lanes.
Denver International Airport's 51,000 parking spaces encompass around 53 square miles. According to airport officials, more than 14 million vehicles parked in DIA's lots in 2023.
Visit www.lockdownyourcar.org for more information on car theft prevention, and what you can do if your car has been stolen.
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