Expecting A Package? How Police Are Stopping Porch Pirates On The Prowl
CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — Porch after porch, package after package, Cyber Monday deliveries are starting to arrive and temptations are popping up in front of so many homes.
"I have a camera, a doorbell camera, so when something comes I'm aware," one woman said.
But not everyone has the technology to see when their packages get delivered. That's why police in Citrus Heights are putting packages on porches, on purpose, using them as bait to see who gets the urge to take off with what isn't theirs.
"We basically look at the items that are most commonly stolen throughout our community and we try to match our bait items with those items," said Lieutenant Chad Morris with the Citrus Heights Police Department.
READ: Modesto Police Arrest Alleged Thief In Porch Pirate Sting
Expensive electronics are what a lot of crooks are after. Technology is inside the bait packages that help police track who takes them. The operation is often top-secret, happening at various times, days and locations.
Lieutenant Morris says in just three years with this program, the department has made nearly 300 felony grand theft arrests.
This year, they've made approximately 60 arrests, that's down nearly 50% from the year before, proving the bait packages are working.
Some people are starting to buy porch pirate lockboxes and even choosing to use lockers to protect their packages.
"I think it will help raise some awareness even for the criminals and it might prevent maybe make them think twice about doing what they are going to do," one man said.
