08/27/2010 03:00pm -- Most people make it a point to lock their doors and windows when they leave their home to prevent anyone from getting in. But as the Texas-based publication The Paper reports, those steps aren't often enough.

Some burglars are able to defeat door locks using techniques called key bumping or spring bumping, according to the publication. Both methods use a filed down key, which is used to try and pick the lock on a door - letting burglars in while leaving little evidence of forced entry.

Other burglars are taking advantage of what is traditionally a weak point in some home security systems - the garage. Some burglars, the source reports, are able to wedge open a garage door and then use a wire or coat hanger to pull the door's emergency release and get inside. Because the door between a garage and the rest of the home is often unlocked, a burglar getting into the garage can do just as much damage.

Police officers are also putting less effort into stopping property crimes, as they are forced to deal with staffing cutbacks that, as USA Today reports, have left many departments stretched thin.