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CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are starting a new campaign to pull the plug on electronic thefts. They hope reminding people to record serial numbers on their electronics will help them put stolen property back with its owner.

Police say GPS systems, laptops and flat-screen televisions are the most popular target for thieves.

Once the items are recovered by police, they often lay unclaimed by their owners at the property control room at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

“We get a lot of stuff in that we just can't claim. We just can't find the owners for them,” said Tony Crawford, of the CMPD.

But retrieving stolen items could be easier if you take a few simple precautions. Police say writing down the serial number of your items, or even taking a picture with your camera, gives police directions on how to get your stuff back to you. It's all part of a public awareness campaign called “Pull the Plug on Electronics Theft.”

Police will auction off uncollected items later this month.