As New Yorkers hustle to get their holiday shopping done online, the Santa Monica Police Department has issued a sleigh full of tips to keep those precious packages from turning into easy loot for porch pirates. In a recent Facebook post, police laid out a strategy to dodge delivery thieves.
“Have packages delivered to where you are, not where you aren't,” the department advised in their post. The SMPD suggests re-routing your goods to your business address, if you're typically there during the day, or to a friend or family member who can take them in.
For those package-laden elves who prefer not to bring their work home, the Santa Monica protectors in blue recommend utilizing the various “alternative delivery/pickup options” offered by delivery heavy-hitters like the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, and Amazon, which provide local city locker pickups.
They insist on adding doorbell cameras to your home security. “Doorbell cameras can be effective crime deterrents,” as their post reads, and they could freeze a thief in their tracks. And keep an eye out for the suspect or the out-of-place vehicle that seems to tag along after the delivery truck.
The Santa Monica Police remind locals: Call 9-1-1 for emergencies, or their non-emergencies number for a less immediate response. And for a chat with your Neighborhood Resource Officer (NRO) or Crime Prevention Coordinator (CPC), email the department's Community Affairs Unit.
