Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers: Burglaries on the rise

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The chances of you becoming the next victim of a burglary are on the rise.

Colorado Springs police say that as of March this year, officers have received more reports than they did at the same point in 2023.

The city sees an average of more than 2,700 robberies per year and officers say thieves burglarize homes all over town daily. Adding, they care far less about the home they're casing than they do about the goods inside.

Don Addy from Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers (PPACS) says they work with Neighborhood Watch groups to help keep homes safe and deter burglars.

Neighborhood Watch is a program run by the Colorado Springs Police Department and Addy says they encourage people to join.

"Crimes of opportunity" is how Addy describes the work done by burglars rather than individuals targeting only high-end areas.

"A person with mild intent will see goods laying around, maybe a garage door that's open and nobody's around. A car has goods in the front seat. Those opportunities present themselves and a burglar will reach in and take those items and off they go. So we recognize that there are things that people can do to reduce the opportunity for people who want to do something bad," Addy said.

In regard to preventative measures that people can take to keep their home safe, Addy recommends items that make it seem like someone is always home; such as lamp timers or Ring/Blink Doorbell cameras.

He says items like that will help to deter burglars.

If you have information about a crime, contact Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers at (719) 634-7867.

If you have a crime topic you would KRDO13 to look into, send us an email at krdonews@krdo.com.