Neighbors say crime on Pueblo's east side has 'improved'

PUEBLO — Some neighbors on Pueblo's east side said they now feel safer at home.

News5 first introduced you to Bryan Steepleton and Bryan Bailey in August. They said crime is out of control on the city's east side.

Bailey said he felt so unsafe that he and his wife considered moving out of Pueblo.

Following this story, we checked in with Steepleton and Bailey to see how things have been progressing over the last few months.

“Things have definitely improved,” Bailey said.

Silence and silence along 12th Street are signs of change for the two neighbors.

“It was pretty quiet here,” Steepleton said.

Another change to what's left. A mobile home sat in Bailey's neighbor's driveway all summer. He said it was the cause of a lot of trouble.

“Drug use, drug trafficking and the crimes associated with it,” Bailey said.

That's why Bailey said his wife started advocating for something to be done to make their neighborhood safer. They demanded action from the police and the city council.

“There have been thefts in their neighborhood, we're literally just asking for patrols,” Bailey said.

Steepleton said a city councilor answered the call.

“We had a lot of help from Joe Latino on the city council. Me and him sat down and talked several times, and he sat down with code enforcement and the police,” Steepleton said.

He said police were in the area.

“They showed up like six or eight patrol cars and drove the entire radius of about six blocks,” Steepleton said.

News5 asked Pueblo police if they have conducted any drug investigations in the area. A spokesperson for the department said they have made an arrest and the person has been in custody since August. In an email they wrote the following:

They said that in addition to our regular patrol, the Pueblo Police Department has several specialized teams, including the IMPACT team, which focuses on targeted gang, gun and drug enforcement.

Then in September, Bailey said her neighbor's house was sold.

“It’s definitely been a lot better since they moved out,” Steepleton said.

The RV is gone and has now been replaced by a large blue dumpster as the house is being renovated.

Do you feel safer?

“Yeah…it's a lot easier to leave the house and not have to constantly check the cameras. Say, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ Is something happening?”

They used to have to park their cars in the backyard, but now they feel safe enough to leave them outside.

“So things have gotten better,” Bailey said.

Would improvement be the right word?

“Improvement? Yes, it's definitely improved. I think there's still a lot of work to be done, but I also feel like this is happening on a community level and I don't know that that's the next step we're taking “Let's try to figure out what we should do as a community … to improve ourselves, and what do we do not just here on 12th Street, but what do we do all over Pueblo,” Bailey said.

Neighbors said they would still like to see more police patrols on their street. Their hope is that the entire East Side community will feel safer and free from crime.

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