BELLEVUE, Wash. — Car prowlers are using garage door openers to gain access to drivers’ homes, prompting a warning from the King County Sheriff’s Office.
“We strongly suggest taking your garage door opener with you inside the house at night,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Monday.
Investigators said a suspect in Newcastle entered a parked vehicle last week, took the garage door opener, and used it to enter the victim’s garage.
From there, the suspect opened an unlocked door from the garage leading to the rest of the home, but a security alarm went off and the suspect fled, the sheriff’s office said. The suspect got away with the garage door opener.
The Bellevue Police Department (BPD) is investigating similar crimes. They said suspects in three recent cases broke into cars, grabbed garage door openers, and used them to start burglarizing houses.
“It's an easy way for burglars to break into your house,” said BPD Maj. Mark Tarantino.
He said it's a smart idea to remove from your vehicle documents like your car's registration, which often has a home address and other personal information.
Tarantino said it's better to keep pictures of the papers on your phone.
“I think most officers will be more than understanding if you show your registration or your title, depending on the case, with an electronic copy on your phone,” he said.
The crimes are increasing. BPD said there were 1,293 prowls last year. So far in 2021, the department has counted 1,400 car prowls.
Tarantino said the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to keep your car as empty as possible.
“No electronics, no wallets, no purses, anything valuable that you think a criminal would want to take, please don't put it in your vehicle,” he said.