One generally feels at least a tinge of excitement when a package is on the way, especially during the holiday season—but according to the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office, anyone expecting such a delivery in the coming weeks should take precautions to ensure it arrives as intended and into the right hands.
Sheriff Greg Champagne warns that over the past few years, criminals have begun to take advantage of the increase in deliveries during the holiday season by stealing packages from the doorsteps of unsuspecting victims.
“Unfortunately, criminals know (more packages are delivered during the holidays) this,” Champagne said. “The problem becomes more acute in December as the volume increases dramatically.”
Some thieves, he said, have followed delivery trucks through residential areas to make the pickup themselves.Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes said it’s not at all uncommon to see these kinds of thefts at this time of year.
“This is the time they’re likely to hit,” he said. “I can’t quite call it an epidemic, but all of the ingredients are there for (criminals) to strike.
“I like to use the expression, ‘We shop, but so do criminals.’ We just shop at different locations.”Yoes noted that precautions can be taken to ensure proper delivery, stressing the best way would be to plan to be home at the scheduled time of delivery, or, if not possible, to request that the recipient or a trusted neighbor have to sign for the package before it is left.
“In a lot of cases, you can ask the shipping company or the retailer to ensure that somebody signs,” Yoes said.
Champagne said that these kinds of crimes occur in “virtually every community in our country.” He also said a sting operation was set up last year following the reporting of several package thefts, leading to the arrests of a number of thieves.
He said most package thefts occur during general working hours, when people are not at home.
The Sheriff offered some additional tips to decrease the odds of a stolen package:
– Ask for and obtain a tracking number for your package
– If your employer will allow it, have packages delivered to your office or workplace
– Request the shipper hold your package at their pick-up facility so you can pick it up in person at your convenience
– If purchasing from a large retailer, request that your package be delivered to a local branch of the store so you can pick it up in person at your convenience
– Request a specific delivery date and time from the shipper when you know you will be home.
– Provide delivery instructions to the shipper so that packages can be left at a safe location at your home that is out of sight from the street.
The Sheriff also asks that if anyone sees any suspicious activity in this regard, to note descriptions and license plates and call 911 immediately.
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