Trinidad police blotter logs assaults, thefts, crashes and patrols in busy week

Trinidad officers spent the week of April 13 through April 19 juggling the kind of calls that shape daily life in a small city: assaults, fraud complaints, a hit-and-run, an auto theft and a warrant service, along with traffic crashes and routine patrols across neighborhoods and business corridors.

The weekly blotter, posted April 20, logged assault reports at East North Avenue and Beshoar Avenue, fraud complaints at East North Avenue and Waverly Avenue, a shoplifting complaint at Walmart, a warrant service at McDonald’s, a restraining-order violation on Santa Fe Trail, auto theft on Arizona, criminal mischief at CenturyLink, vice and drug activity at 123 Pine Street, a hit-and-run on Raton Street, trespassing on State Street and vehicular trespass matters. The department notes that call types reflect how dispatch recorded each call and may not match the final outcome.

Drivers and vehicle owners had a direct reason to pay attention to the week’s crash and theft entries. Officers handled accidents on Oak Street and near Safeway, a traffic-related stop in the 1100 block of Robinson Avenue, a motorist assist on Interstate 25 northbound and the hit-and-run on Raton Street. The auto theft report on Arizona added to the message for anyone leaving vehicles parked around town: Trinidad’s patrol work stretched from the highway corridor to local shopping areas and residential blocks.

Not all of the activity involved enforcement. Officers also made extra patrols at Riverwalk pickleball and Cimino Park, along with a school check sector sweep, property checks, traffic stops, a suspicious vehicle report at Southside Park and multiple animal-control and code-enforcement calls. Those kinds of visible patrols show how much of the department’s work is aimed at keeping public spaces, parks and commercial areas moving without interruption.

The Trinidad Police Department says it was established in 1876 and now employs 23 sworn officers, 7 dispatchers, 2 code enforcement officers and 4 civilian employees. Its patrol division works four shifts of one sergeant and three officers, while investigations handles serious crimes including fraud, homicide and cold cases. The Trinidad Communications Center answers 911 and non-emergency calls in Las Animas County and dispatches more than 22,000 calls for service to 16 agencies, which helps explain how one week’s blotter can span so many different corners of the city.

Trinidad’s population is estimated at 8,183, down from 8,329 in the 2020 Census, so even a short list of calls can feel immediate in a town this size. The Riverwalk runs 3.5 miles along the Purgatoire River and passes near City Hall, Jay Cimino Downtown Park and Waggin’ Tails Dog Park, places that often sit at the center of the city’s daily traffic and its public-safety concerns.