Deputies Cracking Down On Porch Pirates As Holidays Approach

With Christmas being next week, and Santa Clarita residents purchasing more gifts online this year due to the pandemic, Sheriff’s officials are offering tips to prevent packages from being stolen.

With the newest stay at home orders in place, more individuals are purchasing holiday gifts online, according to a social post from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Now with most sellers providing tracking on most packages, residents are being encouraged to not leave delivered items out for too long.

“Be aware of delivery dates and remove packages from your porch as quickly as possible,” Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s officials. “If you’re not home, ask a neighbor if they can retrieve your items.”

With most mail being delivered during daytime hours, officials recommend having packages delivered to your workplace. Other options include utilizing secure locker pickup locations offered by some companies.

Residents are also able to sign up for Informed Delivery, a program that allows residents to see what mail is being delivered even before making a trip to the mailbox.

The postal service takes pictures of mail as it is scanned at their facilities, and then shares those digital images with residents for free in a daily email.

This way, residents can be aware of important mail that is being delivered, and avoid leaving important items in the mailbox or on their porches.

For residents who may be a victim of a package theft, are encouraged to make a police report, according to officials.

For Santa Clarita Valley residents who own a video surveillance system that captures images of a “porch pirate,” Santa Clarita deputies urge residents to contact the Santa Clarita Valley

Sheriff’s Station, and resist the urge to immediately share on social media community groups, as it may hinder detectives’ investigations.

In some cases, it has been found that video capturing possible criminal activity is being shared on social media, but yet has not been officially reported.

Deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station have also been conducting undercover investigations, placing packages near doors and having undercover units waiting by for an arrest if the package is stolen, Sheriff’s officials said in a tweet.

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