Police are reminding residents to lock their doors after someone canvassing a neighborhood found an open garage door and stole from a home while residents were sleeping.

Thieves looking for an opportunity saw a garage door open in the Brookview Highlands neighborhood of Lodi Township sometime between 4:15 and 5 a.m. Tuesday and went through several vehicles, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said in an advisory posted on the Nixle alert system.

The thieves then entered the house through an unlocked door and stole money, credit cards and small electronics equipment from the house as the residents slept.

The subdivision is north of Saline off Textile Road.

Earlier this month, someone stole miscellaneous items from an unlocked vehicle in a driveway in the Travis Pointe subdivision, also in Lodi Township.

Police said a locked door will often discourage a would-be thief.

“Crimes of opportunity are steadily on the rise, so if you remove the opportunity the crime goes elsewhere,” police said in the message. "Please take the time to lock all doors to your vehicles or residence.”

Anyone who notices suspicious vehicles or people in his or her neighborhood, especially late at night or early in the morning, should call 911, police said.

York Township also sent out an advisory asking residents to be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles or people. The advisory said would-be burglars often knock on the door first to check if anyone is home. If someone answers, they may ask for directions or say they are selling something.

The advisory noted that all door-to-door sales people must have a permit from the township and advised residents to report suspicious activity immediately.

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