Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Warns Public of Increase in Storage Unit Thefts

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is warning the public of a significant increase in storage unit thefts.

According to the sheriff's office, thieves rent homes under false identities, store stolen goods and sometimes even throw them over fences.

“We've never seen this happen at this level before. The rise started during Covid and has not stopped. We must educate the public and eliminate any possibility of committing these types of crimes. This is the only way this will stop,” said Investigating Sgt. Brett Cohn in a press release.

In 2020, there were 115 burglaries reported in Arapahoe County at rental storage facilities. Since then, the numbers have increased significantly. There have been 59 burglaries reported in 2024 so far.

The most common way thieves gain access to storage facilities is through fake IDs, using the stolen documents to rent accommodations online, the sheriff's office said.

The Sheriff's Office is searching for a man and woman seen on a surveillance camera burglarizing a storage unit at Greenbox Self Storage, located at 8115 S. Chester Street, in April and returning the following month to retrieve the stolen items in their fraudulently obtained unit. in the same establishment.

Investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the two suspects in this crime.

Investigators ask for public's help in identifying storage unit thieves

According to the sheriff's office, a search warrant served at Public Storage in Greenwood Village in April resulted in the recovery of more than $50,000 in stolen property. They are still working to identify the thief.

The sheriff's office advises people to only store furniture and large items in storage units. Investigators also warn against storing firearms in a storage unit.

“The best advice we can give people is to only use storage space for furniture and large items. Never store anything important or valuable inside. If you look closely, it’s stated on the contracts you sign before you rent,” investigator Nelson Trumbull said in a news release.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office offered the following advice before signing a lease for a storage facility:

Ask employees:

• Describe their safety and security features.
• If they have video cameras and are monitored 24/7.
• If the cameras are pointed directly at the units.
• What is the quality of the surveillance video?
• If anyone lives there and if so, what hours are they there? Do they verify ownership?
• If they receive an alert in the event of suspicious activity.
• How often staff perform lock checks.
• If all four walls and the ceiling are closed.

More tips:

• Never put anything sentimental, meaningful, or of monetary value in a storage unit.
• Never put anything containing personal information in it, such as ID cards, checkbooks, etc.
• Photograph and document all your belongings, including serial numbers.
• Check your storage unit at least once a week.
• If you notice anything suspicious, tell someone.
• Obtain an insurance policy for the value of your belongings in case your unit is destroyed.
• Install a camera inside your storage unit.
• Consider placing an Apple AirTag on certain properties of the device so that if it is stolen, it can be tracked.
• Install a motion sensor on the door so it alerts you when someone tries to gain access.