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NORTHGLENN, Colo. — The Rampart Search and Rescue team is out thousands of dollars worth of equipment and belongings after a thief broke into their storage unit.
The burglary happened early in the morning on Dec. 14 at Public Storage off Huron Street in Northglenn, according to Northglenn Police.
Rampart Search and Rescue serves the urban area in Adams and Lincoln county. The team is called out during highway shutdowns, floods and to help track down missing people. Rampart Search and Rescue was the first to respond when Jessica Ridgeway went missing.
“We’ve got a bike team. We’ve got a K-9 team. We’ve got a drone team. We can do heat sinking and find missing people that way as well,” Chief David Haskin said.
Haskin said the theft “crippled” his team, which is made up of more than 30 volunteers.
“Because we don’t have this equipment, we cannot be out there 100%, and trying to find somebody that is lost or somebody that is hurt and injured, we cannot help them,” Haskin said.
The rescue team is a nonprofit, and Haskin admits several expenses already come out of the pocket of volunteers. The organization has insurance, but Haskin adds it’s unclear how much loss it will cover since it caps off at $5,000, and they didn’t have photos of the equipment to help prove their case.
The team is now turning to the community to help raise money and replace the items that were stolen.
“It would be nice if they could help us,” Haskin said. "I like getting out there and helping people.”
