Denver to put millions of dollars into combatting car theft at Denver International Airport

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Monday, Denver city councilmembers approved nearly $3 million of funding to help with auto theft investigations at the state's major airport, which sees hundreds of car thefts annually.

The funding will assist the airport with adding over 200 cameras to Denver International Airport's parking lots, as well as store video captured by the new cameras. According to our Denver partner 9NEWS, the addition of these new cameras will allow DIA to cover nearly every square foot of its lots.

 According to data from the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, 704 cars were stolen from DIA parking lots in 2023 – a number that far surpassed 2022's report of 396 stolen cars.

Through collaborative efforts with the airport, the Denver Police Department and the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the airport has already increased its security measures over the past year, adding cameras and barriers aimed at preventing thieves from leaving parking exit lanes.

9NEWS reports that there seems to have been a dramatic decrease in car thefts at DIA in 2024, with 101 thefts reported between January and April of this year. There were 169 thefts during that same period last year.

DIA hopes to launch these new, funding-approved cameras by next summer.