Between March 1 and Sept. 18, 2022, the El Paso County Sheriffís Office District 4 reported seven residential burglaries, 11 commercial burglaries, 20 motor-vehicle thefts, five criminal auto trespasses, 38 thefts, six incidents of fraud, 42 incidents of vandalism, 85 traffic violations, three weapons violations and nine narcotic violations.District 4 covers a 1,100 square-mile area south of Simla, west of Rush, extending south past Truckton; and includes Falcon, Peyton, Calhan, Ellicott and Yoder. Black Forest is covered by District 2 and usually has lower incidents of crime than the surrounding areas.Lt. Deborah Mynatt, public information officer for the El Paso County Sheriffís Office, said an increase in vandalism is typically associated with juveniles who are on spring and summer school breaks. Vandalism includes things like graffiti, gang sign tags, shooting car windows out with BB guns, knocking mailboxes over and smashing yard decorations. She said vandalism should decrease once school is back in session. Some small crimes like porch pirating and mail theft also increase when schools are not in session, although she said those incidents arenít necessarily related to juvenile activity.The EPCSO covers unincorporated areas in El Paso County and partners with 118 neighborhood watch groups spread throughout the area to help fight and prevent crime. Brent Ambuehl, crime prevention coordinator for the sheriffís office, said, ìThe baseline to start a neighborhood watch is five or six homes that want to do it, usually the number is higher, but all they have to do is to contact me. We set up a date to do approximately a 45-minute meeting with the group, and I tell them what the program is and isnít. And from there we get them running. I work around peopleís schedules.îAmbuehl said neighborhood watch groups are not ìvigilanteî groups. They are a resource for information for the sheriffís office. ìThey donít knock on doors or confront people ó thatís our job,î he said. ìIf there is an increase in a particular type of crime in a neighborhood, I let the neighborhood watch captain know; and they can all watch more closely.îFor anonymous tips, the EPCSO partners with Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers, which relays the information to the sheriffís office. Ambuehl said the top-three property crime deterrents are signs, dogs and lights. ìThatís what criminals typically look for when they are casing homes and cars in a neighborhood,î he said. ìNeighborhood watch signs tells them there are eyes on them, dogs bark and make noise and lights expose them.îAmbuehl will do a ìwalkthroughî for the neighborhood watch group; itís called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. He will point out crime risks and recommend measures to improve safety for homeowners as well as businesses. ìI look at it like a criminal would as Iíve never seen your home,î he said. ìI look for vulnerabilities and give you options to consider and make it safer; for example, signage in the front yard, landscaping if I see bushes, external cameras, lights and locks, different things. It takes about 45 minutes for each assessment.îThree crime analysts at the El Paso County Sheriffís Office Intelligence Unit analyze crime data patterns to help solve crimes, Mynatt said. One analyst works with the jail and processes intelligence that comes out of the 1,200-inmate population. That information is further used to help solve crimes, including other jurisdictions like Colorado Springs. The two other analysts are assigned to the crime investigation division and have multiple tasks, including checking the tip line, which is constantly monitored, Mynatt said.The EPCSO also works with partners like the Colorado Springs Police Department through agency assist, and they provide backup to one another to cover for deputies, who might be unavailable because of various reasons. ìThe El Paso County Sheriff recently enlisted Colorado Springs Police to assist us as far as Yoder,î Mynatt said. She said the EPCSO dispatch covers numerous municipalities: Palmer Lake, Monument, Fountain, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls and a number of different fire departments in those areas.ìLeadership partnerships and relationships are very important in these arrangements,î Mynatt said. ìOften, all it takes is a call from one chief of police to the sheriff and vice versa to get help.îFor more information on crime statistics, visit http://communitycrimemap.comTo reach Brent Ambuehl, call 719-520-7151.
