Democrat mayor of Denver's car stolen as vehicle thefts skyrocket

The Democrat Mayor of Denver had his vehicle stolen amid a growing number of auto thefts in Colorado.

A spokesperson for Mayor Mike Johnston's office told Fox 31 on Tuesday that the mayor's car was stolen; however, they did not provide details such as where it was stolen or the make and model of the vehicle in order "to protect the safety of Mayor Johnston and his family."

Colorado has seen an increase in vehicle thefts over the past several years.

From 2011 to 2020, the rate of vehicle theft in Colorado increased by 144 percent, which is the quickest increase in the nation, according to the outlet.

Furthermore, vehicle theft accounts for a large portion of Denver's overall crime. This includes a record-high number of thefts reported to authorities at Denver International Airport this year.

The Colorado Metropolitan Task Force, which was created in 2016, has ramped up its efforts as a result of the increase in auto thefts. The Task Force says that auto thefts have declined within the past year since they increased efforts, the outlet reports. The CMTF "is a full-time, multi-jurisdictional task force focused on auto theft."

In addition, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was also the victim of an auto theft in Jan. 2017. Johnson wrote about the incident at the time on X and said: "Help! My car just got stolen from Office Depot on 35th+quebec. Call 911 if seen (yes I painted my car orange+blue)."

Mayor Johnston did not report if that car was ever recovered or if it was the same one recently stolen.