(CAÑON CITY, Colo.) — The Cañon City Police Department (CCPD) is asking for the community to be on heightened alert concerning the security of their cars after a pattern of car trespassing has escalated to the attempted burglary of law enforcement vehicles.
CCPD posted on Facebook and said the department has recently received an increase in car trespass complaints resulting in the loss of personal property. CCPD said phones, keys and key fobs, credit and debit cards, cash, and guns have all been reported stolen, among other items. Most of the guns taken were from unlocked cars, and CCPD said there were no signs of forced entry.
Even more concerning, the trespassing has now escalated, targeting known law enforcement cars with locked gun racks inside. CCPD said Police Chief John Schick is very concerned about the recent string of crimes, and the safety of both citizens and officers alike.
“We now have reason to believe that the suspects are armed,” CCPD said in its Facebook post. “As such these property crimes can now quickly escalate into crimes of violence.”
CCPD is strongly encouraging community members in Cañon City and Fremont County to ensure their cars are locked and valuables have been removed.
“If you are out and about it is also a good practice to conceal any items left in your secured vehicles so that criminals can’t see the valuables in your car, removing the temptation for the criminal offenders,” CCPD said.
In addition, CCPD is asking locals to report anything out of the ordinary to law enforcement, day or night. CCPD said would-be offenders may sometimes canvas a neighborhood or area to return to later, and this is particularly true for suspicious activity in the evening or early morning hours.
CCPD asked that any suspicious activity be reported, do not approach and attempt to investigate on your own, as the suspects in question may be armed.
If anyone has information on these crimes, you are asked to contact either contact Detective Kyle Hance at 7(19)429-0379 or Crime Stoppers at (719)275-STOP (7867). If your information provided through the P3 App leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward from both Crime Stoppers and CCPD.
