Officers in Arapahoe County are investigating a series burglaries while eating at multi-million dollar homes that parallel a national trend of burglary tourism.
At least nine robberies of expensive single-family homes in Arapahoe County occurred between Feb. 2 and Oct. 18, usually between one to two hours after sunset. The thieves steal valuables such as jewelry, designer wallets, cash and safes from the homes.
The total value of the stolen items is approximately one million dollars. No arrests have been made at this time.
All homes in Arapahoe County, four in Cherry Hills Village, two in Littleton, one in Columbine Valley and two in unincorporated Arapahoe County, were burglarized, back to open space, fields or tree cover. Most burglaries in those areas involved two to four suspects working together while wearing masks, hoodies, gloves and sometimes carrying a backpack before breaking an exterior glass door and going through closets, dressers and bathrooms looking for valuables.
Most burglaries occurred on Fridays between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., when most homeowners are not at home. However, at least one burglary in Cherry Hills Village was interrupted by a homeowner present.
Investigators say the burglaries join a trend of similar thefts across the country, particularly in Scottsdale, Arizona, and California’s San Fernando Valley.
The Colorado burglaries San Fernando, California, And Scottsdale, Ariz.involve a group of thieves who break into the houses at night and steal valuables such as cash, designer bags and jewelry.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, and San Fernando, California, suspects monitor their victims electronically or visually and use electronic jammers to disrupt home alarm systems, according to local media reports. However, it has not been confirmed whether the suspects in Colorado are using both tactics, according to a news release from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. Another similarity between the California and Arizona cases 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 at a news conference Thursday that investigators have no reason to believe the local thieves are from South America. There is also no evidence of any ties between the Arapahoe County suspects and the Arizona and California suspects.
The burglaries in Arizona and California are part of a rising trend of “burglary tourism,” in which people with U.S. tourist visas commit crimes during their visit. In a series of cases reference is made to ‘tourist burglaries’ business robberies in Fresno, California, and in a series of home robberies in Polk County, Florida.
Investigators urge residents to call 911 if they see a crime in progress, or call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 303-795-4711 to report suspicious activity. Residents can also call Crimestoppers with anonymous tips at 720-913-STOP.
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