Police Chief Gerry Whitman got a firsthand taste of the frustration of being a crime victim when his southeast Denver home was burglarized just before noon Tuesday.
“Somebody broke into my house, damn it!” Whitman said afterward. “I’ve lived there for 20 years, and I’ve only had one Halloween pumpkin smashed.”
Police dispatchers got a call at 11:45 a.m. from someone in the Hampden Heights neighborhood who saw two men running in backyards. The men appeared to be between 18 and 20 years old, according to Denver police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez.
“The suspicious part was they were jumping fences rather than walking on sidewalks,” Whitman said.
Police responding to the call found that Whitman’s house had been broken into through a window, the chief said.
The thieves had taken several possessions while nobody was in the house, he said.
Lt. John Burbach, a police spokesman, would neither confirm nor deny a Fox 31 News report that a gun was taken. Burbach added that Whitman’s service revolver was at his side all day.
“It wasn’t a large loss,” Whitman said. “They were in and out very quick. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a solvable case.”
It didn’t appear that the burglars had broken into other homes nearby, he said.
Whitman said he believes that the burglary was random and that no one had targeted his modest brick ranch house because he is the police chief.
“I appreciate my very observant neighbors,” Whitman said.
“When I got home, there was all this commotion over there,” said one neighbor, Ruth, who has lived in the neighborhood 10 years. The Denver Post is not using her full name.
“He’s the nicest neighbor you would ever want to have,” said Ruth, who affectionately calls Whitman “Chief.” “If there’s ever any little noise over here, Chief is at my door asking if everything is all right.”
Ruth said she has never been aware of a crime in her neighborhood, adding, “I was just floored.”
Whitman said he was glad that none of his family members were in the house because material things can be replaced, but not loved ones.
Staff writer Amy Herdy contributed to this report.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
