Bellingham Police: Watch out for criminals stealing garage door openers

Police have warned of criminals stealing garage door openers from cars and later using them to break into homes.

The Bellingham Police Department said on its Facebook page that there have been two reports of vehicle prowls recently in which the only item missing was a garage door opener. One of the victims had their home broken into afterward.

Police say paperwork with the victim's address likely was in the vehicle, and that could have led the criminal to the victim's home.

Police advise residents to take their garage door opener out of their vehicle when it is parked where it could be broken into. Those places include parks, trailheads, the mall or parking lots near homes.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Bellingham Police: Watch out for criminals stealing garage door openers ."