DENVER - After weeks of telling people not to leave their cars unattended on cold mornings, Denver Police are now investigating a case in which one of their own detectives did just that.
Someone stole a 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo outside of a detective's house Monday morning. Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman says the detective turned on her car, went back inside, and waited for it to warm up. When she got back outside, the unmarked police car was gone.
The practice of leaving one's car unattended on a cold morning is often referred to as "puffing." In the past few weeks, Denver Police officers have been actively reminding people not to do this, as one out of every four cars stolen in the city were left unattended.
The car did not have any weapons in it, but it did have a laptop, a traffic vest and a pair of handcuffs. "I have questions," Whitman said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
As of 2 p.m. on Monday 17 cars had been reported stolen in Denver. Of the 17, 7 involved instances of "puffing." There have been 6,932 cars reported stolen in Denver so far this year. "If I can get in my car in the morning, and turn the police radio on, and hear these calls coming in all over the city because people are leaving their cars running on a cold morning, it's reached, I believe, epidemic proportions," says Whitman.
The detective may be reprimanded, says Whitman. Internal affairs is reviewing the case.
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