Colorado deputies investigate string of vehicle break-ins in Boulder
Authorities said vehicle break-ins are becoming more frequent in the Boulder County area. According to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, there have been seven reports of car break-ins since Jan. 17. The sheriff asked residents to double-check their car doors and make sure they are locked.
Investigators told CBS Colorado the thieves have been breaking into cars and stealing garage door openers. They are then using the stolen garage door openers to arrive at homes and steal more valuables. These items have included snowboards, skis, and bicycles.
According to the deputies, all of these break-ins happened between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and took place all across Boulder County. The break-ins have been random, they added. The department said some victims left their car doors unlocked and others had their windows broken.
The sheriff reminded residents to never leave personal documents in their vehicle. This includes anything with your address on it. Once a thief has your address, they can come to your home at any time of the day to steal more valuables.
Investigators said thieves do not want to bring a lot of attention to themselves, so they pick easy targets.
"A lot of these criminals do not want to make a lot of noise," said Boulder County Sheriff's Office Sergeant David Salaman. "They want to go out and pop the door open. That is what they are doing. They go around house to house in the neighborhoods and check car doors. If they are open, they have become a victim. If they are not open, then a criminal will have to take the next step and say, 'Am I going to do something else? Am I going to break a window and make more noise?'"
They asked that anyone who has had their car broken into call law enforcement immediately. Authorities added that it's important to know your license plate number to make it easier to track and that the department can search for your VIN. If your garage door opener is missing, they said to reprogram your garage code immediately.