January saw an increase in car thefts and break-ins on and around campus, according to a Campus Safety report released last month. Throughout last year, car thefts became increasingly common in the Denver metro area. Despite being only two months into 2021, 989 automobiles have been reported stolen. This increased from January to February.
DU’s Division of Campus Safety reported one vehicle theft, one attempted theft and one theft from a motor vehicle in January. Campus Safety was unable to give a more current statistic, but they will release details on the number of thefts and break-ins in their monthly crime statistics report on their website in early March.
Campus Security noted that most of the crimes have taken place in areas off-campus that are not patrolled or well-lit. They offered similar advice to last month’s report: “Do not leave valuables plainly visible in your car and lock your doors.”
David Reiss, a junior at DU, was the victim of two separate car thefts earlier this school year. The first was stolen from the parking garage of his apartment building across the street from campus, and it has not been recovered. The second was stolen from a parking garage in Denver while Reiss was working a late-night shift. The Kia Sportage was “trashed” when it was recovered a month later in Greeley, Colorado.
The cars were stolen in similar places. “I park in two high-risk areas,” Reiss said. He noted that his Kia Sportage is not a particularly expensive vehicle. He called it “easy to steal” and said that this was “becoming common knowledge” among people looking to steal cars. In December, Denver PD warned that Kia thefts were on the rise in the Denver area.
Car thefts are both costly and inconvenient to the victim. The FBI reports that an average of $8,407 is lost per vehicle stolen, meaning approximately $230 million was lost on the 27,895 cars reported stolen in Colorado in 2020. The average price of a new car passed $40,000 in 2020. Even with insurance, victims may be forced to pay out of pocket to replace their stolen vehicles.
No cars are completely safe from break-ins or thefts, although some are more commonly targeted than others. Honda’s Civic and Accord models have long been easy targets for determined thieves, but Ford and Chevy pickup trucks are also prone to theft. The number of them on the road makes the cars easier to steal and harder to find.
There are ways to reduce the risk of vehicle break-ins or thefts. Security devices like The Club and steering wheel locks can prevent the car from being stolen. After his car was stolen the second time, Reiss opted to buy a Disklok. The device requires him to unlock and remove it from the steering wheel before he can drive his car anywhere. He said the purchase was “very expensive, but worth it. I cannot go through this a third time.” The inconveniences that come with additional security measures are insignificant when compared to the potential consequences of dealing with vehicle theft.
Vehicle thefts are unlikely to end any time in the near future, but locking doors, removing valuables and security devices can decrease its likelihood of happening. From those who park their cars in dimly lit, publicly-accessible areas to those in underground gated lots, all drivers can take a few steps to protect their cars.
