By Peter Planamente

The holiday season is approaching fast, and people are out shopping and ordering gifts for their loved ones. As more gifts get delivered, thieves are looking for every opportunity to snatch packages off your step, break into your cars, and rob you and your belongings. One police department in South Jersey has come up with new ways to stop these crimes from happening.

Since the summer, The Gloucester Township Police Department have implemented GPS devices into their work to stop thieves. These trackers, which are very small in size, have been installed on packages, as well as bicycles, handbags, and purchased items that are unattended and will begin tracking the location once motion is detected.

“This time of the year, packages are getting delivered like crazy. Thieves are out there…vacant houses or if nobody is home, they are going to pick them up,” says Gloucester Township Detective Sargent Donald Gansky. Once motion is detected by the device, dispatch and police officers will get alerts on their phones. “They’ll send the units to that area and stop the person and hopefully they still have the package and they’re arrested,” says Gansky.

The packages are normal looking boxes, some from Amazon or other retailers, that are placed on front steps of abandoned houses or other residential areas in Gloucester Township. They are setup in visible areas or an area that has a higher crime threat. Thieves will not be able to tell the difference if it is bugged or just a normal package.

“It has to come out of its actual geofence by GPS, so once it hits that fence, we can actively track it real time to the exact location,” says Gloucester Township Detective Jennifer Rauscher.

“It’s pretty much within six feet of where the package is. That’s how close you can pin them on it,” says Gansky.

The packages are not the only decoy that the police department has used. GPS trackers have also been setup at local businesses across Gloucester Township this holiday season.

“We put them in purses before…in cars. Black Friday in the [Gloucester Premium] Outlets we had a purse in a car with the windows down and it is hidden inside the purse,” says Rauscher.

The packages have not been used at any businesses, as of yet, but the purses have been setup at other locations other than the Outlets.

Also, rigged bicycles with GPS tracking devices have been placed by convenience stores. Police say that the criminals are typically caught within an hour.

The department began these operations within the last year, with the bait packages being the most recent, starting around Cyber Monday. A few arrests have since been made.

“I can tell you that our residents are very happy about it,” says Jennifer McLaughlin, Community Relations Officer at the Gloucester Township Police Department. “We are getting a lot of good feedback.”

McLaughlin says that the police department is always adding “layers of security” to prevent and protect residents from crimes and theft in the township.

“Whether it be a package or your home or car, you want to add layers,” says McLaughlin. “I always say it’s like layers of an onion, so the bait packages is like another layer of added protection.”

The department has also used a smart device called Furbo, which is a pet camera and food dispenser. In one instance, the police department was able to catch an intruder that broke into a residence that owned a Furbo device. “The interactive device has an artificial intelligence that can distinguish activity between humans and dogs,” according to a press release.

Police have been stressing tips to the public on stopping thieves from taking your packages and belongings this holiday season. Recommendations include having your packages delivered to your workplace if no one is home during the day, keeping your doors locked on your house and car, have your packages signed and have neighbors stay on alert, to name a few.

Police also stress that people should always report any suspicious activity to the department by calling 911. Most police departments use the motto “if you see something, say something.”

“We’re always looking to add something new and fresh because if you keep doing the same things over and over again, it’s just going to go to the wayside and people are going to pick up on it,” says McLaughlin.