Since Aurora Police Department started allowing its officers to pursue stolen vehicles, they have chased 27 stolen cars, Chief Todd Chamberlain said Thursday.

Out of the 27 pursuits, there has only been one injury, Chamberlain told the Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Policy Committee. That one was due to a rollover because of an attempted homicide of an officer incident. Almost all of the people arrested in the pursuits had “prolific” criminal histories, he added.

All of the pursued vehicles were stopped within two minutes, he said, adding that any pursuits that went beyond five minutes were ended by the officer.

“That really speaks volumes about their understanding of what they’re doing,” Chamberlain said. “They’re going out there very structured, very methodical, and they’re going out there adhering to policy and procedure.”

In early March, the Aurora Police Department added car theft to the list of circumstances that allow officers to initiate a police pursuit.

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

Under the department’s previous pursuit policy, most recently revised in October, 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.

In past years, officers did not pursue stolen vehicles, Chamberlain said when the department adopted the new rules. That made thieves operate without fear of consequence, he added.

“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 one of many efforts in the city’s attempts over the years to crack down on car theft.

This year, motor vehicle theft is down significantly year-to-date, Chamberlain said Thursday. As of the end of April, the police department has seen 734 cases of stolen vehicles. Last year at the same time, they’d seen 1,216 such cases.

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.

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

Aurora Municipal Code 134-37 was passed in September during an Aurora City Council meeting. It states officers must have a car towed away and impounded if the car’s registration is not up-to-date, the driver doesn’t have a valid driver’s license and they don’t have insurance. It’s a three-strike rule designed to increase compliance with driving rules and regulations.

The owner can’t retrieve the car until all three violations are fixed.

To date, 565 vehicles have been towed under the new code, Chamberlain said.