Theft has always been a part of the human condition.
Long before Moses got the inspiration to bring the 10 commandments to the people, stealing was a facet of everyday life.
The only thing that has changed with time is the sophistication with which thieves steal.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, over 1 million vehicles were stolen in the U.S. in 2023. But the news isn’t all bad; there was a 17% reduction in 2024, marking the first time vehicle thefts fell below 1 million since 2021 and the largest decrease in 40 years.
“The overall decrease in stolen vehicles nationwide is a testament to the hard work and collaboration between law enforcement, multi-jurisdictional auto theft task forces, governing bodies, vehicle manufacturers, and NICB,” said David J. Glawe, President and CEO of NICB.
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“Collectively, these groups used data and intelligence to develop actionable strategies to help local authorities investigate and prosecute offenders and to prevent vehicle theft from occurring in the first place.”
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Car thieves have become more sophisticated, and so has law enforcement
While car thefts are down nationally, that good news hasn’t filtered down to every municipality equally.
Some districts are facing an epidemic of car thefts, so police departments are turning to high-tech solutions to combat the problem.
This week, the Denver Police Department said it would provide a total of 450 Apple AirTag tracking devices for free between March 19 and March 21. A four-pack of Apple AirTags retails for about $100.
The move is part of the department’s DenverTrack program, which preauthorizes the DPD to work with the GPS information provided by the vehicle owner through their AirTags, LoJack, or other vehicle GPS services.
Car theft victims enrolled in DenverTrack are told to call 911 to report their vehicle stolen and inform the call taker that their vehicle is registered. The vehicle owner then provides the responding officer with the vehicle’s tracked location.
To alleviate security concerns, the department emphasizes that they can’t track a vehicle without the owner’s express written consent. They also note that some companies will not share real-time GPS info with law enforcement without a subpoena.
Denver law enforcement is fighting a stubborn issue
While the Denver metro area is experiencing the same decline in car thefts that the rest of the country is, hundreds of vehicles are still boosted every month.
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The city is averaging more than 430 car thefts per month, which breaks down to about 14 per day. While this may sound like a lot, it is a drastic improvement from the 711 per month the city average in 2024, and much less than the 991 per month the city averaged in 2023, according to Denvercrimes.com.
The majority of car thefts in the city occur between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight.
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