Denver International Airport is responding to a recent wave of auto thefts by installing a $7 million network of security cameras at its shuttle and economy lots.
The project includes more than 200 new cameras across the Pikes Peak shuttle lot and the airport’s two economy lots, dramatically expanding surveillance coverage of the areas.
The change comes after widespread theft of automobiles from airport parking lots in 2023, including by a crime ring that was implicated in dozens of thefts at DIA and beyond.
Airport automobile thefts peaked at more than 60 per month in October 2023, though they have since declined sharply.
The cameras at the Pikes Peak lot will be mounted at 42 different locations. Each unit will provide 36-degree overviews, and most will also be able to scan around the parking lot and zoom in. They’re replacing cameras that suffered from “poor quality, especially at night,” 9News reported earlier.
The project’s cost also includes nearly $3 million for data storage equipment.
Access to the cameras will be available to specific airport employees and members of the Denver Police Department.
The airport will also expand its use of license-plate readers at parking lot entrances and exits. Earlier, the airport installed close to a dozen “HALO” cameras in the economy lots.
Installation at the Pikes Peak lot has already begun and will be completed March 31. Several rows of parking spots will be closed during the construction. Work at the economy lots will follow later.
The airport has about 51,000 parking spots spread across 53 square miles, with some 14 million vehicles pulling in to park in a single year.
