Colorado Springs Police: 22% spike in burglary crimes this year

New data from the Colorado Springs Police Department shows there’s been a 22-percent increase in burglary crimes city-wide compared to this time last year.

The uptick in crime concerns neighbors living in areas northeast of the city who have been targeted the past two days.

“It’s scary, so scary,” said Rose Gerardo, a neighbor living along Pennsylvania Avenue.

A few doors down, a man returning from work was threatened at gunpoint after finding a group stealing from his home.

“It’s hard when you have a young family and you’re one of the only ones on the block,” said Nate Huntley.

Huntley said he saw the commotion unfold late Monday night.

“It’s pretty unnerving,” he said.

There were 943 burglaries this time last year, but that number has spiked to 1,153 this year. It’s a 22-percent increase that’s requiring more police resources.

“We have property crimes detectives and an impact team that are addressing those things,” said Sgt. John Koch, with the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Police have noticed in many of the recent cases, windows are left open, doors unlocked, and deadly weapons being used.

That was the case yesterday, where a man spotted another group burglarizing a home along Forest Creek Drive.

Evidence suggests the two incidents aren’t related, but police are still searching for two separate groups of suspects in each case.

If you have any information on either case, you can anonymously text CSPD’s tip line at 847-411. The service is monitored 24 hours a day.