Garage break-ins are on the rise at metro apartment complexes. Thieves are getting away with everything from laptop computers to credit cards and there's a reason they're targeting rental communities.

Police say they make easy targets. Chelsea Long had a hunch something was wrong February 22nd. It was a Sunday night around 11 p.m. when she was awakened at her apartment complex near 145th and F streets.

"I heard just random garage doors opening and closing for about five minutes and then I didn't do anything and the next morning I came down and all my car doors were open."

Her garage was one of at least 14 broken into at Westport Apartments that weekend, though only seven filed official reports with Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies, Long among them.

"They did steal my digital camera that was in the console of my car. That's the only thing that was in there and that's the only thing that they got."

Investigators think the thief or thieves entered from the inside of the complex, through a common hallway with doors to the garages. Long showed how they lock from the inside. However, the night she was victimized, her's was unlocked.

Because of their entry method, investigators think this may have been an inside job, possibly involving someone who used to live at the complex, a former employee or a tenant’s friend.

Other metro apartments have been hit recently as well, including a complex in Bellevue near 36th and Cornhusker early Friday morning.

Police Chief John Stacey tells Channel 6 News rental communities are appealing to criminals because they can often go unnoticed.

"Things that may be unfamiliar to somebody in a neighborhood are not that unfamiliar in an apartment complex, so a lot of stuff goes unreported just because of the lack of familiarity."

Thefts are way up in Bellevue from this time last year, comparing December 2007 through March 2008 to December 2008 until now. Burglaries are up 45 percent. Car break-ins are up 56 percent. Theft by deception or fraud is up 20 percent and theft by taking or stealing is up a whopping 120 percent.

Chief Stacey says police need our help to report anything or anybody that seems suspicious, no matter how minute. "You're not imposing on us and you're not bothering us. We would really appreciate a call to 911. We need to get that information as quickly as possible because a good majority of our crimes are solved by citizens who take the initiative to call us."

It's something Long wishes she had done when she heard those garage doors opening a few weeks ago. "It's kind of a creepy feeling to know that these things are happening around here."

Douglas County deputies have a lead on those break-ins at the Westport Apartments. In one case, a woman's credit card was stolen and it was used the next day at the Papillion Target store. Then it looks like the suspect left the state, using the card at gas stations in Ponca City, Oklahoma and San Antonio, Texas.

Still, the burglaries at the complex continued with two more occurring just a few days later. Investigators say there are clearly more thieves involved. They ask that anyone with information call their tip line at 444-6000.