Rancho Cordova police roll out holiday package theft prevention program

This holiday season, the Rancho Cordova Police Department will be leaving bait packages at homes to prevent package theft, according to the department’s Facebook page.

Thieves stole packages from 11 million homeowners from January to October 2016, with 81% of surveyed homeowners saying they worry about package theft during the holidays, according to August Home. Rancho Cordova’s program seeks to prevent thefts by catching package thieves in the act.

The department is working with residents to decide where to place bait packages. If a thief steals one of these packages, Rancho Cordova can track the package through GPS. This is the third year the Rancho Cordova police have participated in this program, according to the department.

Rancho Cordova police also released some tips for residents to help prevent holiday package theft.

Tips for keeping packages safe:

• Sign up for email or text notifications to alert you when your package is delivered.
• Have your package delivered to the post office, UPS store, Amazon Locker or your office.
• Require a signature upon delivery.

Emily Zentner: 916-321-1074, @emilymzentner

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Rancho Cordova police roll out holiday package theft prevention program."