Behind the break in: Most targeted neighborhoods for burglaries
For some burglars, their targets are by chance. El Paso County inmates who sat down with KRDO say it's usually a crime of opportunity.
"We were doing it completely random, completely random. Literally just door to door, door to door," said Inmate #1.
He's one of two men KRDO was asked to disguise by the Sheriff's Office. They revealed they rarely struggled to get into a house.
"The thing about it is, you keep saying break into. I never had to break anything."
Inmate #2 says the neighborhoods they are target are, "Broadmoor, Briargate, Rockrimmon, and Mountain Shadows, those are the areas more likely to get hit."
Colorado Springs police crime statistics show most thieves are going after other areas of the city.
At the top of the list is Southwest Colorado Springs, specifically the homes near Chelton and Galley (Tract 20). In 2018, they had 73 reported break-ins.
On the Southwest side of the city, the neighborhoods with the most break-ins were homes near 8th Street and Cheyenne Road (Tract 30) with 70, followed by Cheyenne Road and Lake Avenue (Tract 29) with 61.
On the northeast side of the city, the most targeted neighborhood was Austin Bluffs and Templeton Gap (Tract 47.05) with 55 burglaries.
Briargate Parkway and Union Boulevard (Tract 39.06) has the most on the northwest side of town with 41.
The burglars KRDO spoke with say that all the houses have one thing in common: the people inside are complacent.
"It's simple diligence to lock the deadbolt. If you have a screen door, lock that too," said Inmate #1.
Inmate #2 said, "If you have a dog door, use that freaking lock thing, the plastic cover that comes with it. Use it at night."
Other neighborhoods with high rates for burglaries include Academy and Austin Bluffs, Academy and Circle Drive, Pikes Peak Avenue between Platte Chelton.
