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Don’t let porch pirates get your gifts!
by Doreen Rivera, Community Outreach Specialist, Washington County Sheriff’s Office

Package theft is a crime of opportunity. Thieves may be waiting for a delivery vehicle to drop off, or they may just be driving through a neighborhood looking for packages. Some thieves may not be looking for packages, but if they see one, the opportunity presents itself. Here are some tips to help keep those packages in your hands and not the hands of a porch pirate.

Schedule deliveries to arrive when you are home, or have them delivered to your place of employment.

Have a trusted neighbor or friend pick up your packages if you won't be around home.

Deliver packages to a shipping store or an Amazon Locker

If you cannot do any of these, have them delivered around to the side of your house or somewhere where they are not visible from the street or porch.

Install a security camera on your property. This will not prevent theft—it will just document it. Unless the suspect has a sign around his neck with his name, we may not be able to identify or catch him/her and you will still be out your package. Cameras should be in addition to these ideas.

Be aware of your neighbors packages. If you see them on their porch and they are home, text them or call to let them know they have packages.

Watch for cars that seem to be lingering in your neighborhood, following delivery trucks, or with someone just sitting in a car looking around. Are they scoping for package deliveries? Call the non-emergency phone number (503-629-0111) and describe what you are seeing to the dispatcher.

If you see people going onto porches and retrieving packages, this could be a crime in progress. Get a license plate number if possible and a description of the people and car, and then call 911 immediately. Our Deputies like nothing better than to catch these guys in the act.

Since we can’t have Deputies in every neighborhood, you are our eyes and ears. We need to hear from people if they see something that seems suspicious.

Thanks to one of our CMN interns, Cami Villanueva, for finding the links to the various delivery services’ options for changing delivery times and places!

Amazon Locker: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=6442600011

Schedule Amazon Delivery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910810

Options for UPS Delivery: https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/individual-shipper.page

Options for FedEx Delivery: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-guide/pickup-delivery.html

Options for US Postal Service Delivery: https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

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