Neighbors on the east side of Pueblo say crime is out of control

Neighbors of the east side of Pueblo say crime is out of control. Some told News5 they feel so unsafe they considered moving out of the city. Now, they are calling on the Pueblo City Council and Pueblo Police Department to address their concerns.

Bryan Steepleton and his family have called the east side of Pueblo home since 1960.

“Thinking back, you know this neighborhood was a great neighborhood,” Steepleton said.

He said the neighborhood is not like it used to be.

“But back in the day, you could go out and there would be kids playing all over. Now you go up the street, you don't see a soul,” Steepleton said.

Eleanor Sheahan

He said drugs and violent crime is changing the place he loves.

“The worst that it's ever been,” Steepleton said.

A couple houses down from Steepleton are his neighbors, Bryan Bailey. He said they have seen people break car windows and even steal cars. One of the cars belonged to Steepleton.

“You think honestly where you put your cars now,” Bailey said.

Bailey parks his car in his gated backyard. He does not trust it to be safe in his driveway or on the street. He said people will steal things out of cars on the east side and it's not worth the risk.

“There's a hole in one car from a bullet. Don't know where it came from or what. Again, it was parked on the street and we noticed it,” Bailey said.

The four way stop at the corner of East 12th Street and North Norwood Avenue is also an area Bailey would like addressed. He said cars constantly speed through the intersection. His biggest concern though, are drugs in the area.

“My biggest concern is honestly, drug use, drug dealing and the crimes that go along with that,” Bailey said.

To stay safe ,Bailey has installed nearly $2,000 in security measures.

“We have a security door and the doorbell camera,” Bailey said.

He also has multiple cameras outside.

Eleanor Sheahan

“I could not imagine leaving the house without a security system, and we can see it on my phone,” Bailey said.

He is also building a fence to separate his yard from this motorhome, which is parked in his neighbor's driveway. Bailey said the motorhome showed up in his neighbors driveway in June. He suspects that it does not run, and he said it violates city code.

“Right now, it is used as a meeting spot for whatever is going on,” Bailey said.

Bailey and Steepletons’ friend owns the property next door, but said other people have “moved in” to that property.

They said they watch drug deals happen while they stand on their front porch.

“We can't just let it continue, or it's just going to continue to get worse and go downhill. We're just kind of asking that question, what else do we do?” Bailey said.

The neighbors, Bailey and Steepleton, decided to take their concerns to the Pueblo City Council. They spoke at this past meeting, pleading for more police presence in their neighborhood.

Eleanor Sheahan

“There have been thefts in our neighborhood, we are asking for more to be done and patrols,” Bailey said.

News5 reached out to Pueblo Police. Over the phone, a police spokesperson said patrol units are assigned to Pueblo neighborhoods and they are aware of the increase in crime in town.

“There's got to be a better solution to this because whatever Pueblo PD or the city or whoever is in charge of logistics for this, it is not working well,” Johanne Bailey, Steepleton's neighbor said.

“Let's actually be a neighborhood, and that feels like... a dream, and it feels like it's so far away and it shouldn't be,” Bailey said.

Pueblo Police said people should report crimes to their non-emergency line. According to Bailey, he has reached out to police four times about the crime he's seen around his house. He says no officers have been able to speak with him about them.

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