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WESTCHASE, Fla. (970 WFLA) - Residents in the Westchase neighborhood of Hillsborough County are concerned after a series of garage burglaries.
Deputies are patrolling the thousands of driveways in the area to make sure people aren't leaving their doors open.
One patrol Wednesday found 86 garage doors left open in an area of about 3,000 garages.
That's more than enough for criminals to take advantage.
Master Deputy Hugh Alter is one of the deputies combing the neighborhoods.
“That’s the purpose here, is to make people aware of their surrounding and make sure they understand what could potentially happen," Alter told News Channel 8.
Some residents don't realize what's going on until after they start doing yard work and realize they're missing a lawn mower or weed wacker.
Deputies are encouraging homeowners to keep their garage doors closed and locked whenever possible.
photo credit: WFLA-TV