Eight arrested after the Colorado Springs Police Department targeted retail crime
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says they have identified an ongoing rise in retail crime across the City of Colorado Springs.
According to CSPD, law enforcement has identified a connection between retail theft cases and drug use, often tied to the Fentanyl crisis occurring in the community.
On September 22, 2022, Colorado Springs Police Department Divisional Detectives and Patrol Officers partnered with area retailers for a targeted Shoplifting Deployment.
CSPD said that the deployment partnered with various retail stores to identify in-progress shoplifts and have law enforcement contact the shoplifters, detain, and arrest or cite the shoplifters when it applied. The goal of the targeted deployment was to address multiple shoplifting hot spots across the city.
During the targeted deployment, CSPD says that officers made eight total arrests and cleared four felony warrants, five misdemeanor warrants, and served two outstanding citations.
According to CSPD, two of the arrests were for new felony-level charges for possession of Fentanyl. One of the suspects arrested, Ryan Hensler, had a stolen handgun in his possession at the time of the arrest. It was found this gun was taken three weeks ago in an area just outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jonathan Tankersley, 23 years old, was also arrested on new charges of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Burglary Tools, and Theft.
