The Aurora Police Department is adding vehicle theft to the list of circumstances that allow officers to initiate a police pursuit. 

New policy changes went into effect March 5, according to a news release from the department Monday. 

Under the department’s previous pursuit policy, most recently revised in October of last year, pursuits could be initiated in the two following circumstances:

• The suspect has committed or is committing a felony and presents a serious risk to public safety if they are not immediately apprehended.
• The suspect is driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Under the new policy, police pursuits can happen under the following circumstances:

• The suspect has committed or is committing a felony and presents a serious risk to public safety if they are not immediately apprehended.
• The suspect has committed or is committing a crime involving a firearm that poses serious threat of harm to the public.
• The suspect is driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• The suspect is driving a motor vehicle that has been confirmed stolen.

Officers assess risk throughout pursuits, taking various factors into consideration including traffic conditions, time of day and severity of offense, according to the news release. 

Police supervisors also monitor pursuits and give officers guidance along the way. 

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the new policy will help the department reinforce “that crime will not be tolerated in Aurora.”

In past years, officers did not pursue stolen vehicles, he added, saying that makes thieves operate without fear of consequence. 

“This has created a reality where offenders believe they can victimize our community with no consequence, simply fleeing from law enforcement to avoid accountability,” Chamberlain said. “This is unacceptable.”

The policy change is another effort in the city’s attempts over the years to crack down on car theft. 

Last year, Aurora councilmembers voted to remove the “sunset provision” on a law requiring mandatory minimum jail sentences for car theft. 

The ordinance initially passed in 2022 with a “sunset provision,” essentially making it more of pilot program that would have expired in 2024 had the council not voted to extend it.

Last summer, Aurora police also rolled out a new tracking program to enable officials to locate stolen cars. 

The program, Metro Track, allows people to enroll with the department and give officers consent to track their car if it’s stolen.

So far in 2025, the Aurora Police Department has seen 461 cases of motor vehicle theft, according to the department’s transparency portal. By the end of March last year, the department had seen over 1,000 car theft cases.

The number of stolen vehicle cases in Aurora has steadily dropped since 2022, from 6,800 that year to 5,200 in 2023 and 3,500 in 2024.