Campbell

Campbell police say package decoy program seems to be scaring off potential thieves

NBC Universal, Inc.

It’s that time of year when delivery truck drivers are working late into the night, getting last-minute holiday packages to your doorstep. But it’s also the time of year when thieves are following those truck drivers in hopes of tracking and then stealing your packages.

The Campbell Police Department is trying to change that and catch package thieves in the act, and it appears to be working.

Even though they do see a few cases here and there, Campbell police say the thieves are mostly avoiding their city these days thanks to the department's package decoy program.

"We came up with a plan to put a small GPS device on packages," Campbell police Capt. Ian White said. "At the time we'd seen an uptick on package thefts."

The idea netted them a few criminals who detectives were able to track down.

Police wouldn't say how many GPS devices are out in the public or where they are placed.

Now, as word gets out, police say the message is simple.

"Don’t come to Campbell and take our packages," White said. "It might be one of ours."

Campbell police say everything helps when it comes to protecting yourself from package thieves, including having packages delivered to an Amazon or postal drop box or to a neighbor's house if you're not going to be home.

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