Calling All CSO’s

Adding insult to injury for one woman who had to deal with shattered glass and a car break in. Helen Parks says seven vehicles, including hers, were broken into sometime Tuesday, overnight. She lives off Union near Academy in Hamlet Village. Parks tells me she called Colorado Springs’ non-emergency dispatch for help. She was told she could file an online report or wait for up to 15 days for a regular police officer to handle the call. She says her neighbors pushed for help and got what’s called a Community Service Officer. These are trained civilians who handle non-emergency calls so regular officers can handle emergency or serious situations.

Parks wondered why she wasn’t give that option when she called. She told me she understands budget cuts and why regular Springs Officers are only going to emergency situations. However, she also wants this Community Service Officer option explained to her and others too.

Parks also told me what’s even worse in this situation is that the car that got broken into isn’t even her vehicle. She borrowed it from a deployed soldier’s family, nice enough to lend it to her while her vehicle is getting fixed.

Parks did have a message for those who were part of this mini-crime spree, “I do forgive you for that. I would hope you would do something in your life to change your habit and not do this anymore. I forgive you.”