Every night homes across the capitol city are inviting thieves to steal from open garages.

Lincoln Police have taken calls on several thefts from open garages ranging from snowblowers to golf clubs, thousands of dollars in goods.

Police officers working overnight are focusing on the problem by waking you up if they find your open garage.

If a thief asked to come inside your home at 2 in the morning what would you say? The natural response is no, but dozens of invitations like that are being left all across the city every night in the form of open garage doors.

"I can find one a night I know I could, some nights 4 or 5 in a neighborhood. With nicer weather a lot more open," says Officer Lacey Schwochow with LPD.

Lincoln police are looking for ways to stop the trend. Instead of taking a report when you wake up in the morning, their the ones waking you up.

Officer Lacey Schwochow is just one of many officers patrolling Lincoln neighborhoods overnight. She says open garages are easy to find. In fact on Wednesday night she found her first within 10 minutes.

It's meant to be a wake-up call in more ways than one. Schwochow says it's all about prevention.

"This is a lot easier, because in the garages you see expensive items, golf clubs, snowblowers, lawnmowers that are high market and I'd rather prevent it now than try to look at pawn slips or Craigslist for them."

So far she thinks the program is working, she's seen a drop in garage burglary reports in her area and typically the people she wakes up are groggy, but thankful.

For most it's a surprise, but that's the point. You don't expect an officer to wake you up in the middle of the night, but it could happen, just like the thief you don't expect just waiting for you to leave your garage door up.

Officer Schwochow says you can prevent theft and an early morning wake-up call just by double checking that your garage door is closed.

Officers also leave notices on your door if you don't answer. They say in the time it takes you to read the flier a thief could have stolen all you property.

It also asks that you call Crimestoppers if you see any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

That number is 475-3600. Or leave an anonymous tip on-line at lincolncrimestoppers.com.
You can also "text" your tip just type in l-n-k-four-zero-two, then your message and send it to crimes.