Small-Town Living Doesn’t Mean We Can Let Our Guard Down
Residents in Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, and Deer Trail need to protect their property—and expect local leaders to take crime seriously.
Many of us chose the eastern plains for more space, quieter neighborhoods, and a place where people look out for each other. Some moved away from Denver and Aurora hoping to leave behind the worry about stolen cars, missing belongings, and someone wandering through the driveway at night. But living in a small town does not guarantee safety. Leaving vehicles unlocked, garages open, and tools outside can give thieves an easy opportunity. We cannot assume that everyone passing through our neighborhood has good intentions.
Recent numbers give Bennett residents a reason to pay attention. According to FOX31’s reporting on the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office’s 2025 annual report, Bennett had more thefts from vehicles, more burglaries, and more robberies than in 2024.
There is some important context, however. The sheriff's office reported that crime decreased across several categories countywide between 2024 and 2025. According to its 2025 annual report, motor vehicle thefts decreased approximately 45%, burglaries decreased 23%, and robberies decreased 14% across the areas covered by the report. Those areas include Bennett, Centennial, and unincorporated Arapahoe County. These countywide improvements do not erase the increases in individual categories reported in Bennett, but they do show why residents need community-specific numbers rather than broad generalizations.
Another issue residents should not overlook is the continuing impact of fentanyl and other drugs along the I-70 Corridor. According to Arapahoe County Public Health, fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Arapahoe County reached 143 in 2023 before declining to 118 in 2024. That is still 118 lives lost in a single year to fentanyl in one county.
The problem extends beyond overdose deaths. A February 2025 evaluation of Colorado's fentanyl legislation examined drug-related court cases in Arapahoe County. Between July 2022 and June 2024, the county filed 1,933 drug-related court cases. Fentanyl-related cases accounted for 27% of those cases during the first year and 32% during the second year. These alarming stats demonstrate why residents should be asking local law enforcement about drug activity, distribution investigations, overdose calls, and whether resources are sufficient to address these problems in smaller communities.
Drug activity does not always look like what people expect. It can involve suspicious traffic around a residence, repeated short visits, discarded drug paraphernalia, or other documented criminal activity. Residents should report specific observations rather than assume that an unfamiliar vehicle or visitor is involved in drugs.
Another subject that deserves honest discussion is sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Human trafficking is not limited to large metropolitan areas. It can involve commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, online recruitment, and the exploitation of vulnerable people. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation data analyzed in the February 2026 Common Sense Institute report, Adams County recorded 37 human-trafficking victims or offenses in 2025, while Arapahoe County recorded four. The report also identified 211 victims in Adams County between 2008 and 2025 and 34 in Arapahoe County over that same period. Many of us have heard about the unusual amount of suspicious truck drivers at the Love's truck shop in Bennett, and it is a concern that we all need to be aware of.
These numbers are relevant to conversations about public safety, particularly as communities grow and transportation, employment, and commercial activity change. Residents should expect law enforcement to investigate credible reports of exploitation and make information about reporting resources available.
Sexual assault is another concern that should not be ignored. However, we need actual local police and court records before claiming that sexual assaults are increasing in these communities. The number of registered sex offenders in a town, by itself, does not establish how many new offenses are occurring or how safe a community is.
Residents can use the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's public sex offender registry to check registered offenders in their area. The registry is a public-information tool, not a complete measure of sexual crime or an indication that every registered individual poses an immediate threat.
As our communities grow, public safety needs to be part of the conversation. When local leaders approve more development, residents deserve to know how deputies, patrol coverage, and emergency services will keep up. This is especially important when discussing major projects, including proposed data center development. Large projects can bring construction workers, contractors, additional traffic, and increased demand for infrastructure. Those changes deserve planning and public discussion. But we should not assume that a data center will cause crime, trafficking, drug activity, or sexual assault. That would require evidence. Instead, residents should ask developers and local officials to address public safety before approving projects.
Questions worth asking include:
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How many additional workers and contractors are expected during construction?
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Will construction workers be housed locally or commute from other communities?
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What additional traffic will travel through residential areas?
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Will developers contribute to the infrastructure and public safety costs associated with growth?
Keeping a small-town feel takes more than a slogan. It requires planning, transparency, and an honest discussion about the consequences of growth. Growth also brings new neighbors. Many are good people looking for the same quieter life the rest of us want. There is no verified evidence here that people moving from Denver or Aurora are responsible for Bennett’s increases. Where someone used to live does not tell us whether that person can be trusted. What matters is how people act. Someone checking car handles or entering a fenced yard without permission should get our attention. An unfamiliar person simply walking down the street is a different situation. We can welcome new neighbors while making it clear that stealing, trespassing, and damaging property will not be brushed aside.
There are several simple steps residents can take right now:
*Take valuables out of vehicles. Bring purses, wallets, electronics, tools, and garage-door remotes indoors.
*Don't make your vehicle an easy target. Never leave it running unattended or leave the keys inside during a quick stop.
Park in a locked garage when possible or in a well-lit area.
*Check your lights and cameras. Make sure your driveway and entrances are visible at night. Test your cameras and confirm that recordings are being saved. Aim them at your property while respecting your neighbors' privacy.
*Report what you actually see. Describe the behavior, location, time, and direction someone traveled. Save original camera footage. Stick to facts instead of guesses about who someone is or where they came from.
*Put your family's safety first. Call 911 if a crime is happening or someone is in immediate danger. Stay somewhere safe. Do not chase a thief or go outside to confront someone over property
*Look out for each other. Do you have a neighborhood watch in your community? If not, at the very least, exchange phone numbers with trusted neighbors, pick up packages when someone is away, and share accurate information. Posting on Facebook or Nextdoor does not replace reporting a crime.
Know the response times of the Sheriff's department in your area. A deputy could arrive within a few minutes if one is patrolling nearby. If the nearest available deputy is handling another call or is several miles away, the response could take considerably longer. The distinction between a crime in progress and a delayed report is also important. A home invasion, violent threat, or burglary in progress is generally treated more urgently than discovering that someone stole property from your vehicle overnight. One encouraging development: Arapahoe County officials discussed adding four patrol deputies to eastern areas in 2026, citing the large geographic area deputies must cover.
Either way, let's stay vigilant, watchful and aware of our surroundings, our neighborhood and our neighbors.
Kasey Nunn
The I-70 Corridor is not short on events for the whole family. Check out the Corridor Community calendar. This comprehensive calendar hostsevents from the entire corridor, and it is a resource for everyone.
Do you have an event coming up that you would like the whole community to know about?