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Colorado Springs P.D.
This still photo shows a burglar spraying WD-40 on the lens in an effort to obscure his picture.

Safecrackers Google For Instructions, Clean Camera Lens

'They're Not Professional,' Cops Say

POSTED: 6:49 am MDT July 10, 2007

Two burglars had door keys, pass codes and combinations to help them break the safes at an indoor amusement center, but they had to turn to Google for help to steal their loot.

The burglary at Bigg City turned into a comedy of errors early June 10.

First, the burglars, dressed in black and with their faces covered, tried to disable a security camera by repeatedly spraying it with WD-40, only to have the lubricant clean the lens instead of obscure it, police detective Chuck Ackerman said. They also sprayed a fire alarm, thinking it was a camera, he said.

The real camera recorded the pair struggling for 75 minutes to open the safes, apparently not realizing how many times and in what directions they needed to turn the dials.

"They’re not professional safe people," said Colorado Springs police detective Chuck Ackerman. "No, they’re not."

Finally one burglar left the room. A check of an office computer in the next room later showed a Google search for "how to open a safe" and "how to crack a safe."

Afterward, they easily opened the safes, escaping with cash, a laptop computer and a PlayStation, Ackerman said. The burglars took about $12,000.

Police suspect it was an inside job or that the suspects had help from someone who worked at the center. No suspects have been identified as of Monday.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 719-444-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP.

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