Aurora police offer free steering wheel locks as car thefts drop across Colorado

According to Colorado State Patrol, there were 23,578 car thefts across the state in 2023, compared to 2024, when that number dropped to 17,174 car thefts. Denver continues to be ranked number one for car thefts with Aurora following at the number two spot. To combat this issue, the Aurora Police Department is providing free steering wheel locks to their residents.

Drivers could pick up the steering wheel locks on Thursday morning with a limit of one per person. Aurora police said if thieves see a steering wheel lock attached, they are less likely to steal the vehicle because investigators claim a thief does not want to steal anything that takes work. 

Officers said the key is proper installation. When attaching the steering wheel lock, the bar expands in the middle so use it to clip the inside of your steering wheel. Turn the key to lock the steering wheel in place. Tug it a little bit to make sure it does not come off. When removing it, twist the key and the lock will collapse, allowing for easy removal. 

Along with the steering wheel lock, police say to make sure to lock the vehicle and clear anything of value from inside the vehicle. 

"I can imagine if a suspect comes and looks in your car and sees you have one of these on your steering wheel, they are going to leave it alone," Aurora Police Public Information Officer Matthew Longshore said. "It's not worth their time. It's not worth the hassle to take one of these off. They would have to have some kind of saw or to pick the lock. This would take more time than they are willing to spend to try to steal someone's car."

If your car is stolen, call law enforcement immediately. Provide the make, model, and color of the car with the license plate number and VIN number. Investigators said it's important that all information is up to date.