It’s the season for giving – and, unfortunately sometimes, for taking illegally.
With families spread out over long distances, sending Christmas gifts through package delivery is often the most practical course of action. But those packages could end up in unintended hands once delivered left unsupervised at their destination; the holiday season often sees a bump in thefts reported to police. In one instance, for example, one woman was arrested for her alleged involvement in multiple package thefts in the Destrehan area during a rash of them in December of last year.
While it can be difficult to guarantee safe and successful delivery of these gifts, there are ways to reduce the chances of being victimized and, as much as possible, help ensure a merrier Christmas for loved ones. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office advises a number of precautions to that goal.
In today’s day and age where technology offers many opportunities not plausible before, simply requesting a delivery notification via text or email once a package is delivered can go a long way to landing a gift to the proper residence. Many delivery services offer the service of sending a push notification directly to one’s phone once the package is dropped off, allowing potentially for immediate retrieval.
“If you cannot immediately retrieve it yourself, you could ask someone you know and trust to retrieve it for you,” said Cpl. James Grimaldi, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “You can also make notes when you’re ordering the package, like ‘leave the package behind the house’ or even ‘do not deliver if no one is home.’”
He said it pays to at least consider having instructions set that the recipient must sign for the package upon delivery, to ensure its left in the hands of a person and not on a doorstep or otherwise out in the open.
“If possible, request delivery to a post office or post office box, or even consider having it delivered to your place of work to ensure that it’s secure,” Grimaldi said. “You might have the package delivered to the home of a trusted neighbor or family member living nearby, if they will be home during normal delivery times.”
Of course, when it comes to preventing and reducing the instances of these crimes, the old adage always applies for members of the community: If you see something, say something. Delivery drivers are warned about the possibility someone could follow them on a route to steal packages left outside, but those attempting to do so will often be alert in evading the driver’s attention.
“If for any reason you see vehicles following a delivery truck, or vehicles that appear to be stopping at random driveways in your neighborhood, this could very well be someone casing the neighborhood for unattended packages,” Grimaldi said. “Please call the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office and have a deputy come check it out.”
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