ARVADA, Colo. — A string of robberies in a sleepy suburban Denver neighborhood has an entire community on edge.
The burglaries took place in the 13800 block of West 64th Drive in Arvada.
A total of four homes were burglarized by the same suspect or suspects between the hours of 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Sunday.
In all cases the burglar walked in through an unlocked back door.
“Sunday morning we woke up and I couldn’t find my purse,” says Gina Coye, who didn’t want to use her real name.
Like the other victims, Gina was inside her home asleep when the burglar walked into her home.
“It’s not right to have someone come into your home without your permission and steal from you,” she says.
The suspect or suspects took off with only what they could carry.
“Small items, cash change wallets things they can take out easily and put in their pockets,” says Sgt. Mark Nazaryk of the Arvada Police Department.
Arvada police say all of the burglary victims had one thing in common.
“The consistent thing across the board the suspect entered through unlocked doors,’ Sgt. Nazaryk says.
When the weather is warm it’s not uncommon to see windows and doors left open. Police say that’s all would-be burglars need to commit a crime of opportunity.
“Our crime rate is quite low in this neighborhood and that lulls you into a faults sense of security,” says Coye.
Officials are asking the public to take a few simple steps to avoid becoming a burglar’s next victim
“That’s just crime prevention 101. We need people to understand they’ve got to lock their doors and windows,” adds Sgt Nazaryk. “Make sure they are doing what they need to do to make sure they’re a more difficult target.”