ACADIA PARISH, La. (KLFY)- The Crowley Police Department is reminding people to be on the watch for porch pirates.
With an increase in people buying from online stores because of the pandemic, police departments around the country are seeing an increase in the packages being stolen.
But what if the package never actually makes it to your porch- or in this case- what if it’s delivered and stolen by the delivery driver?
This happened on Nov. 29 in Crowley when a Walmart delivery driver left packages at a local business. The suspect took a picture of the delivery which was sent to Anthony Borill’s phone to show they were delivered.
She then snagged the packages and took off. Borill says there were Christmas presents for his grandchildren inside of the packages.
“The fact of it is, a lot of times people have video cameras and the point of it was, she didn’t realize we had video cameras watching everything she was doing,” Borill said.
Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard urged the public to be cautious and not themselves vulnerable to theft.
“There are people driving all the time, waiting for packages to be delivered, and of course, we don’t want the Grinch to steal your Christmas,” Broussard said.
Here are some tips to help keep deliveries safe this holiday season:
- If you’re able to have the package delivered to your work, Broussard advises this would be a good idea if you won’t be home.
- You can have the package delivered to a family member’s home if they are present or have them wait for the package at your house.
- Ask the carrier to hold the package if no one is present or require a signature when the package is being delivered.
- Doorbell cameras are fairly inexpensive Borill said and can be found at dozens of stores.