A surge of car thefts at Denver International Airport has all but ended, with the city reporting another dramatic decline in the number of automobiles stolen from the parking lots around DIA.
The number of cars stolen from the airport has fallen by 71 percent compared to last year, the city announced this week, and even more from 2023.
There have been 103 auto thefts reported this year in District 7, which covers the airport and its surrounding parking and rental car lots. That’s according to the Denver Police Department’s online Performance and Transparency portal. Only 10 thefts have been reported within the last 21 days.
Thefts spiked in 2023, when more than 1,000 cars were reported stolen around the airport.
Ford F-150 trucks are the most popular among car thieves. The model and make accounts for nearly 33 percent of thefts (35) reported stolen at the airport this year.
Denver International Airport has taken several steps to stop theft and improve safety. The airport deployed more contract security personnel and Denver police officers to patrol the lots.
The airport is also installing hundreds of surveillance cameras, including High Activity Location Observation (HALO) cameras. In addition to the HALO cameras, more than 90 cameras with more than 197 different views were installed in the Pikes Shuttle Peak Lot in July. The airport is also installing 70 cameras with 120 different views in the Economy parking lot.
Security personnel also receive alerts when reported stolen vehicles enter key locations on the airport property.
Law-enforcement agencies have also arrested suspects in multiple alleged theft rings that targeted hundreds of cars. One crew allegedly stole 59 vehicles, mostly around the airport in 2022 and 2023, and used some in burglaries.
Another operation was alleged to have stolen 190 vehicles.
Denver police also assisted federal authorities in arresting two Cuban nationals connected to a nationwide multimillion-dollar auto theft ring in June, with nine vehicles recovered after being stolen from DIA.
