Colorado Springs residents upset after string of break-ins, police estimate up to 40 cars damaged

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Residents at multiple Colorado Springs apartment complexes near Quail Lake are facing extensive vehicle damage, after a night of break-ins in the area.

Colorado Springs Police (CSPD) confirmed that up to 40 vehicles were broken into overnight, leaving behind broken windows and pieces of glass covering the parking lot.

"You'll see in the parking lot, there's still a bunch of windows that haven't been fixed," said resident Heather Knable. "They just wrap what they can over the top of the window, and so, yeah, it is I mean, it's expensive to live here, so it does create a financial burden, you know, and then you go to your insurance company and it's like a $1,000 deductible. So, what are you going to do?"

Heather Knable lives in the Bonterra Apartments in southeast Colorado Springs. She tells KRDO13 that at first there was a feeling of shock at the extent of the vandalism, and now, a feeling of helplessness wondering if this will happen again and whether the complex is safe.

CSPD says they received 29 calls of "theft from a motor vehicle" across two apartment complexes near Quail Lake. Officers say they counted around 30 to 40 vehicles with signs of damage.

CSPD Officer MJ Thomson, a Crime Prevention Officer, says because of legislative changes, car break-ins and theft from a vehicle are misdemeanor crimes.

With low staffing at the police department, Thomson says CSPD typically will not send officers out to "cold" crimes, or crimes reported after the incident is over. They did not send any officers to respond to the apartment complexes.

Still, Thomson says it's important to make a police report if your car is broken into so that if officers recover stolen items in the future, they can tie them back to a victim and then hopefully prosecute the person responsible.