The surveillance video has captured a crime that is occurring with mounting frequency in Denver: a thief on a bike stops, smashes the window of a parked sport utility vehicle and grabs something from inside before riding off.
A few moments later, he is caught on camera again stealing from another vehicle.
“This is a crime of opportunity that is easily preventable,” Mary Beth Klee, Denver police division chief of patrol, said at a press conference held Sunday to raise public awareness of the crime.
Auto break-ins have increased 34 percent over last year in Denver, with 5,610 cases from January through September.
If a thief sees nothing worth stealing in a car, chances are he will move on to the next vehicle, she said.
Insurance claims stemming from the crime lead to increased rates in both homeowner and vehicle insurance, said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.
While an auto insurer will pay the claim for the break-in, she said, the cost of stolen property is generally paid through the homeowner’s policy, even if it is taken from a car.
“We are all victims because we all pay for it through our automobile and homeowner insurance. Don’t make it easy on these criminals.”
The problem is city-wide, Klee said, though it is worse in areas where large numbers of people park along the street or in lots.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
