The state of Colorado could have saved $1.8 billion last year if statewide approaches to crime matched those in Aurora, a Common Sense Institute study reported.

The report looked at crime data across Aurora and the entire state of Colorado over the past several years, comparing trends specifically in auto theft to determine how much money the state could save by adopting Aurora’s crime policies, according to a press release about the report.

The Common Sense Institute describes itself as “a non-partisan research organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the economy.”

By adopting similar policies to those Aurora has adopted in recent years, the state of Colorado would save up to $1.8 billion annually, the report concluded. 

In July 2022, the Aurora City Council approved an ordinance requiring a mandatory minimum jail sentence for car theft. Councilmembers then renewed the ordinance in 2024.

According to CSI data on car theft in Aurora, theft levels rose between 2016 and 2020, stabilized at around 40-to-60 theft incidents per 100,000 residents, then grew exponentially between 2020 and 2022, hitting a peak in February 2022 of about 173 offenses per 100,000 residents.

Trends have gone down since, with about 76 offenses per 100,000 residents at the end of 2024, according to CSI’s data. This is about a 6% decrease in auto theft incidents, CSI reported, that happened after Aurora passed its mandatory minimum jail sentence ordinance. 

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

Aurora Police Department’s transparency portal data also shows the number of stolen vehicle cases in Aurora steadily dropping since 2022, from 6,800 that year to 5,200 in 2023 and 3,500 in 2024.

Colorado as a whole saw a 3% decrease in car theft since passing SB23-097 in 2023 — dubbed “Motor Vehicle Theft and Unauthorized Use” — which made it a felony to commit car theft regardless of the value of the car.

According to the Common Sense Institute study, the decline in auto theft trends has saved Aurora about $16.3 million between August 2022 and December 2024.

A similar decline in statewide crime could save $1.8 billion each year, with $40.2 million from auto theft, the report concludes.

Common Sense Institute’s financial conclusions came from a cost-benefit model, taking into account that while cracking down on auto theft can save money, the crackdown itself also costs money, the report stated.

The largest cost of auto theft per incident is property loss, which is about $14,910, as estimated by the institute. The cost of adjudication and sanctioning is about $3,847 and public services about $1,693.

Paul Pazen, a former Denver Police Department chief and Common Sense Institute’s public safety fellow, said Aurora’s mandatory minimum ordinance for auto theft “has shown real results.”

“Reducing auto theft by 6% saved the city millions in economic costs. If implemented statewide, the impact could be transformative for public safety and the state’s economy,” Pazen said in the press release. “Aurora’s success highlights the broader economic impact that crime reduction policies can have. By lowering auto theft rates, the city reduced significant costs tied to property loss, insurance claims, and law enforcement resources.”

The Aurora Police Department declined The Denver Gazette’s request for comment.