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The Atherton Police Department has announced that they have set up the first residences in the town’s bait house program. This program, which involves placing GPS trackers in decoy items such as luxury purses, was created by the town to address home burglaries.
Atherton Police Cmdr. Daniel Larsen said that the town was not able to share the number of bait homes that have been set up so far. However, as of March 28, at least 50 residents had expressed interest in participating in the program.
There have been 15 residential burglaries in Atherton so far in 2024, according to the Atherton Police Department.
Larsen explained that the GPS tracking system would let the police respond as soon as a burglary is detected.
“We will get instant notification of the burglary and start our response,” he said.
He also explained that though the bait houses are set up on a different system, the GPS trackers can be used in conjunction with the town’s automated license plate reader system to identify suspects’ cars.
“It will allow us to know where the GPS devices travel with a timestamp that will be used to check the ALPR system for the subject’s vehicle,” said Larsen.
Atherton hopes that the bait house program will be able to help prevent burglaries in town, and reinforce the police department’s relationship with the community.
“Through our bait house program, we are proud to strengthen our partnership with the community,” said Larsen. “By working together, we can more effectively deter crime and ensure the safety of our neighborhoods. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to creating a secure environment for all residents.”
The town is planning to add more bait houses to this initial crop.
“As the program progresses, more residences will be established,” said police Chief Steven McCulley in a town news release. “Please be aware that you may be contacted in the future to participate in setting up your residence as part of the bait house program. Your ongoing support and cooperation are greatly appreciated.”
If Atherton residents are interested in participating in the bait house program, they can contact Detective Sgt. Taylor at jtaylor@ci.atherton.ca.us to be added to the list of interested residents.
