Friday, March 29, 2024
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Overton Sheriff: In-Person Deliveries Can Prevent Package Theft When Online Shopping

Holiday shopping time can typically bring an influx of package deliveries to your front door, but how can you protect your Christmas gifts from porch pirates?

Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said that the best thing you can do is ensure that someone will be there to accept the delivery in person. He said that porch theft has increased over the last several years.

“Shopping online has been on the rise for several years now,” Garrett said. “My wife does the majority of our shopping online. But just in the last couple of years, it has increased dramatically. And I think that’s one of the biggest reasons that we’re seeing more of these crimes because there is more opportunity.”

Garrett said that other methods of protecting your packages include ordering them to the store or requesting that every package must be signed for. He said that while a security system such as a Ring doorbell camera can help, it doesn’t do much to prevent theft.

“Instead of being proactive, that’s more of a reactive kind of thing. You’re going to get a notice that someone may be on your property that shouldn’t be there and then you’ll have a video of the act afterward. It may not necessarily stop the act from occurring but it can get law enforcement another tool to possibly target the thief.”

Garrett said that if you suspect that your package has been stolen, the first step is to double-check that the package has been delivered. He said that once that has been confirmed, the next step is to contact law enforcement to get a report started. Garrett said that if it’s not reported to the police, they won’t have a way of knowing that this kind of activity is happening in the community.

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