Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Warns Against Storing Gifts In Cars After Recent Break-Ins
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Hiding gifts in the trunk or the back seat seems like a good place to keep kids out of reach, but the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office says they have investigated too many break-ins this holiday season.
"If you have gifts in your car, my suggestion is take them out and hide them somewhere inside the house," said Jim Hills, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Investigator.
Investigator Hills noticed an uptick in vehicle break-ins this season, with some reporting they had presents stolen.
"I think a lot of it is just opportunity, there are more people working at home, so therefore their vehicles are home," he said.
Cases have increased so much in the past few weeks, the sheriff's office put out warnings. Browsing the Nextdoor App or Ring App, there are multiple posts of thieves being caught on video.
One neighbor in the Highlands almost caught someone trying to steal his bike on Thursday morning because his garage was open.
"The bike belonged to my dad, it's just a 34 year old bicycle, it doesn't have a lot of monetary value, but it has a lot of sentimental value," Brandon Louder said.
Louder learned first hand he had created an invitation that was just too tempting, even though he thought he was being careful.
"I hadn't been inside the house for more than a few minutes and I looked across through the backyard and saw through the garage window that one of the bike tires was moving."
Louder was able to chase the intruder, who then ditched the bike, but he got away.
"So if you're a car thief, or a thief in general, if you drive through a neighborhood, and you see a bunch of brand new cars out on the street or in the driveway, 20 cars is a bigger opportunity than if there's one car," Hills added.
Investigator Hills emphasized it is always a good idea to bring everything inside with you, and if a break-in happens, to report the crime.