Deputies in Arapahoe County are investigating a series of dinner-time burglaries at multi-million dollar homes that are similar to a national trend of burglary tourism.
Between Feb. 2 and Oct. 18, there have been at least nine robberies at high-value, single-family homes in Arapahoe County, usually between one to two hours after sunset. The thieves steal valuables like jewelry, designer purses, cash and safes from the homes.
The total value of the stolen items amounts to around one million dollars. At this time, no arrests have been made.
All of the homes burgled in Arapahoe County, four in Cherry Hills Village, two in Littleton, one in Columbine Valley and two in unincorporated Arapahoe County, back up to open space, fields or tree cover. In a majority of those area burglaries, two to four suspects worked together while wearing masks, hoodies, gloves, and sometimes carrying a backpack before smashing an exterior glass door, and going through closets, dressers and bathrooms for valuables.
Most of the burglaries occurred on Fridays between 5 and 8 p.m., when most homeowners are not home. However, at least one burglary in Cherry Hills Village was interrupted by a homeowner who was present.
Investigators say that the burglaries align with a trend of similar thefts throughout the country, specifically in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the San Fernando Valley in California.
The burglaries in Colorado, San Fernando, Calif., and Scottsdale, Ariz., involve a group of thieves who break into the homes during the evening and grab valuable items like cash, designer bags, and jewelry.
In Scottsdale, Ariz., and San Fernando, Calif., suspects surveil their victims either electronically or visually and use electronic jammers to disrupt home alarm systems, according to local media reports. However, it is unconfirmed whether the suspects in Colorado are using either tactic, according to a news release from Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. Another similarity between the cases in California and Arizona is that the suspects arrested in both cases were from South America and were in the United States on visas.
However, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brett Cohn said in a Thursday press conference investigators do not have reason to believe the local thieves are from South America. There also is no evidence of any ties between the Arapahoe County suspects and the Arizona and California suspects.
The Arizona and California burglaries fit a rising trend of “burglary tourism” in which people on tourism visas to the United States commit crimes while they’re visiting. “Tourism burglary” has been referenced in a series of business robberies in Fresno, Calif., and in a series of home robberies in Polk County, Fla.
Investigators urge residents to call 911 if they see an in-progress crime or call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office nonemergency line at 303-795-4711 to report suspicious activity. Residents also can call Crimestoppers with anonymous tips at 720-913-STOP.
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