Worried about your car being stolen? There’s a new tool to combat auto thefts. The Denver Police Department (DPD) has a FREE program called DenverTrack. DenverTrack works with any vehicle with an installed tracking device, including factory-installed or after-market devices, and GPS and Bluetooth tracking devices to track stolen vehicles in real time.
The program requires vehicle owners to register for DenverTrack to preauthorize Denver Police access to the the car’s GPS location service (such as OnStar or Starlink) in the unfortunate event that their auto is stolen.
If the vehicle is stolen, when the vehicle owner calls police to report the theft, DPD can then track the vehicle in real time with the goal of locating and returning the vehicle to the owner and arresting the suspect.
Participants will be able to receive a DenverTrack sticker to put on their car. The idea is that thieves see the sticker and move on because they know that the vehicle has GPS and will be tracked if stolen.
How does the DenverTrack program work?
The vehicle owner preauthorizes the Denver Police Department (DPD) access to their vehicle’s GPS in the unfortunate event that their vehicle is stolen. To do so, you fill out an online form. If someone steals your car:
You call 911 to report the vehicle stolen
You say that you have filled out the authorization form and give verbal confirmation that DPD can access the vehicle’s GPS information
DPD is able to track the car in real time and respond to its location with the goal of quickly returning the vehicle to its owner and arresting the thief.
Once the vehicle is registered online, DPD will mail DenverTrack stickers to owners to place on their vehicle’s windows to deter potential thieves from stealing their car.
Is there a cost to register?
Nope. This is totally FREE. But there may be a fee from your vehicle’s manufacturer or app. Please verify with them.
Will DPD be able to track my car’s GPS if I don’t sign up?
Without express written consent from the vehicle’s owner, some car companies will not share real time information with law enforcement without a subpoena, which is often takes several business days.
This is why it is essential vehicle owners fill out the authorization form prior to their vehicle being stolen.
If information is available about the location of a stolen vehicle, regardless if the vehicle is registered with DenverTrack, the Denver Police Department will make good faith efforts to recover the vehicle.
This good faith effort is based upon the totality of the information available and specific situation (such as location, available staffing, legal authority, etc.).
Will DPD be tracking my car all the time if I register?
Absolutely not. This program has systems in place to only allow tracking to be done when the vehicle owner reports the car stolen and has preauthorized the tracking.
The caller must provide information proving it is their vehicle they are reporting as stolen. DPD then works with the GPS company to track the vehicle.