Campbell Police Use Bait Packages To Track, Nab Thieves

CAMPBELL (KPIX) -- 'Tis the season for package thieves, especially after record Cyber Monday sales. Police in Campbell say they have devised a trap that actually works.

It is an unusual approach. Campbell is one of the few Northern California cities, if not the first, to use this bait package program during the holidays.

For a second year, officers are partnering with residents to put bait packages on porches throughout the city. They'll look no different than anything delivered by UPS, Amazon and the like, except these packages will have a GPS tracker inside.

"So as soon as the package is taken, our dispatch gets a notification and they're able to guide in officers who are usually within minutes of where the suspect might be," said Sgt. Dan Livingston.

Police say last year's program was successful, and they were able to make a number of arrests.

After thieves stole a package off Yvonne Kendall's porch, she decided to be a part of this year's program and leave packages out.

"I hope that enough people agree to participate in the bait program ... in Campbell so that thieves kind of get the idea that this isn't the place to be stealing things from," said Kendall.

Police say since the program was introduced, they have seen an overall decline in package thefts.

"It's not just our bait package program, it's partnering with our community as much as we can, encouraging people to call in when they see suspicious activity," said Livingston.

Because of its success, Campbell police plan to continue this program throughout the year.