Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Boulder thieves are apparently feeling the Covid-19 heat, too.
From the beginning of March through April 27, Boulder has seen 80 residential burglaries, a 128 percent increase from the same period in 2019. These stats include garages, new construction and unoccupied housing.
In over three quarters (77 percent) of the break-ins, the home was unlocked; in about two-thirds of the burglaries (66 percent), someone was at home. The burglaries happen primarily downtown and on the hill near CU, the city’s densest residential areas and usually Boulder’s crime hotspots, according to Brannon Winn, a sergeant at the city of Boulder police department.
“These aren’t sophisticated burglaries,” Brannon says, adding that the thefts typically have happened in the early morning hours and often involve quick grabs of times like electronics, change, clothing, sometimes alcohol and loose change.
Brannon attributes part of the uptick to a court system hampered by Covid-19. Boulder police are catching repeat offenders who in normal times would remain in jail for longer periods.
The best thing residents can do is to lock their doors, windows and pull their shades, Brannon says.
