Badges, guns, Taser stolen during burglary of Boulder deputy

Shortly after Boulder deputy Rick Ferguson's arrest for Internet luring and sexual exploitation of a child, one of his colleagues was personally involved in a crime, too -- but as a victim, not the alleged perpetrator. He was burglarized, and the thief or thieves got away with lotsa tools of his trade.

According to sheriff's office spokesman Commander Rick Brough, the break-in at the deputy's residence, on the 2800 block of Rock Creek Circle in Superior, took place at around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The booty included a couple of computers -- the sort of thing a burglar would grab at anyone's home. But also grabbed were two Boulder Sheriff's Office badges belonging to the deputy -- one sporting the traditional design, the second a special edition marking the department's 150th anniversary -- plus a couple of his personal handguns, a duty belt, a Taser and a portable police radio.

Any evidence to suggest that the scofflaw went after the deputy in order to gain access to official gear? "At this point, it would all be speculation," Brough says. "We don't know if it was something random -- if they saw something police-related and then started looking for other things police officers have -- or if they targeted the home."

Right now, the sheriff's office doesn't have any specific suspects: "It's on open investigation," Brought says. But he admits to being worried that whoever wound up with these items might have the urge to play dress up.

"There's always stories now and then about somebody impersonating a police officer," he notes. "And that's always a concern when you lose anything related to a police uniform. People can take advantage of that -- especially badges. When people see a badge, they naturally assume they're a police officer."

If you have any information on this case, phone Detective Andy Smith at 303-441-3650 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

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More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Jerry Gallegos: 6-year jolt for cop impersonator who couldn't start car he tried to steal."