How Cops Are Combating 'Porch Pirates' This Holiday Season

— -- It’s the busiest time of the year for shipping packages and police departments across the country are putting out alerts warning consumers about package theft. But one California department is taking it a step further by placing tiny GPS units on so-called bait packages.

“GMA” on the Lookout went along with members of the Rancho Cordova Police Department as they dropped off one of the tagged packages.

"This is a problem as a state, as a society this time of year," said Lt. Kate Adams. "Thieves prey. They follow around delivery trucks. They wait for them to leave and then they steal the precious packages."

The bait package contains a GPS unit that is so small that the average person wouldn’t know it was there, Adams said.

Dressed as delivery people, officers work with retailers and residents who are aware that the packages are made to be tracked. If a thief picks up the package, police can track its location on a screen.

"We pull up the device on our computer screen, which we can start seeing as soon as it moves," said Sgt. Mike Robertson. "We can determine what direction it’s going and where it’s going.”

About 10 percent of Americans say they’ve been a victim of package theft, according to the website InsuranceQuotes.com.

Video of some alleged incidents across the country show suspects brazenly making off with other people’s packages.

Producers at ABC Philadelphia station WPVI-TV left a package on a doorstep to see what would happen. They said that someone took it within hours.

Brian Hunt of Indianapolis caught a theft of two packages on his home surveillance cameras.

Hunt posted the video to the neighborhood social media site Nextdoor.com. He says that within hours the suspect was arrested. That case is still pending.

So how can you keep your packages safe from so-called porch pirates?

1. Experts say you should schedule package deliveries for when you know you’ll be home.

2. If you can’t be home, have the package delivered to an alternate location, such as a neighbor’s home. UPS operates a system of more than 8,000 locations nationwide that allow package pick-up and drop-off. According to the company, the access points offer a delivery solution to help customers receive their online order after the first home delivery attempt.

3. Require a signature for delivery.