Break-ins at abandoned Colorado hospital cause safety concerns, multiple arrests made
Authorities are concerned about numerous break-ins this summer at an abandoned hospital building in the Denver metro area.
The building that housed Lutheran Hospital for decades in Wheat Ridge now sits empty. There are plans for new development, but while everyone waits, Wheat Ridge police say people have been causing trouble.
"We knew that this was a possibility ever since our partners over at Lutheran have moved across town, just about a year ago," said Wheat Ridge Police Spokesperson Alex Rose. "In the overnight hours, our graveyard shift has noticed an uptick this summer of people who shouldn't be here, frankly, either trying to get into the property or actually breaking into the property."
He says it is a problem because it could be dangerous, and it's taking resources away when they may be needed the most. Every time someone breaks in, police need to do a sweep of the whole building, which requires multiple officers.
"The last thing we want, the last thing the hospital wants, is anybody getting hurt or injured," said Rose. "To do a full sweep of this hospital overnight, we would need more resources than we could provide in a graveyard shift. And so, for us, it's a big resource allocation. And crime doesn't stop just because we get a call that somebody might have the lights on here inside the old hospital."
Wheat Ridge Police aren't sure what the motivation is behind these recent break-ins, but there is an online trend called "urban exploring" where people enter abandoned places. Many videos online show masked people inside empty Colorado movie theaters, the now closed Bandimere Speedway and even other hospitals.
Wheat Ridge Police say they don't know if these break-ins are connected, but they say some of the arrests they've made are juveniles. They want parents to talk to their kids and be aware of what they're up to.
"Have conversations with your kids about what they're doing at night and where they're going," said Rose.
If someone is caught trespassing, no matter the reason, the penalty may be severe.
"We have been even recommending, in some cases, some felony charges in the cases that we've been dealing with just within the past week," said Rose
