Aurora police offering free GPS tracking program to curb car thefts

AURORA | The Aurora Police Department is launching a free program to prevent vehicle thefts with GPS tracking and stickers to act as visible deterrents.

“Although it’s encouraging to see motor vehicle thefts are on the decline in Aurora, it’s still a significant issue plaguing our city and our state,” City Councilmember Curtis Gardner said in a statement.

MetroTrack is an auto-theft deterrent program that enables the Aurora Police to assist in locating stolen vehicles using GPS data provided by the vehicle’s owner.

It begins Thursday and is available to all Aurora residents. 

“The goal of MetroTrack is to provide our officers with the technology they need to help victims recover their vehicles as quickly as possible to minimize, or hopefully eliminate, any impact on their daily lives,” Gardner said in the statement.

Residents who already own vehicles with GPS tracking systems through a vehicle assistance program, including OnStar, can also participate in MetroTrack.

By enrolling in the program, residents agree to share their vehicle’s GPS location with Aurora police if it is stolen, officials said. The owners must access their Bluetooth tracking app and provide real-time location data to responding officers. The police cannot access a vehicle’s GPS information without the owner’s consent.

Based on similar programs in Cook County, Ill., and Denver, MetroTrack features a two-prong strategy to auto theft prevention using visible vehicle stickers in addition to GPS monitoring, the statement said.

“Through our conversations with leadership in Cook County, we learned the stickers they use are a key component for preventing vehicle thefts in the first place,” said Mike Hanifin, commander of the Aurora Police Department Community Engagement Bureau, in the statement. “When thieves see a vehicle is registered and tracked by local law enforcement, they tend to move on in search of an easier target.”

Once registered for MetroTrack, vehicle owners will receive two free stickers to place in the corners of their driver’s and passenger’s windows. The stickers are designed to be visual deterrents, alerting potential thieves that the vehicle can be monitored and located by Aurora police.

Residents driving older model vehicles not already equipped with a GPS monitoring system are eligible to receive a free GPS tracking device to hide in their vehicle. The Aurora police have both AirTags and Chipolo trackers for Apple and Android personal device users.

There is a limit of two free devices per household, and there is no subscription fee for the GPS tracking devices provided by the Aurora Police Department. To receive free tracking devices, vehicle owners must have valid vehicle registration and auto insurance.

The MetroTrack project, sponsored by Gardner, is a priority initiative of the city council in response to several years of steady increases in auto thefts throughout the state. Colorado ranked fifth in 2022 in the total number of auto thefts, but ranked first in 2021 and 2022 in the number of vehicle thefts per capita, according to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.

Auto-theft numbers have decreased in recent years. In 2024, Aurora police officers responded to 3,545 reports of stolen vehicles, down from 5,223 in 2023 and 6,781 at its recent peak in 2022, according to the statement. As of March 31, the Aurora Police received 596 stolen vehicle reports this year.

For details or to sign up for MetroTrack, visit AuroraGov.org/MetroTrack. Once registered, residents can schedule a date and time to pick up a MetroTrack self-install kit from Aurora police’s District 1 station, 13347 E. Montview Blvd. Self-install kits include a GPS tracking device, window stickers and essential program information.

MetroTrack self-install kits will be available beginning May 5.