‘Tis the season for package and mail thefts

With the holiday season now upon us, police and shipping companies are warning people to be on the look out for thieves stealing packages and mail.  Three UPS drivers reported today that they were followed through neighborhoods as they dropped off packages. This was in the Monterey Trail High School area and near Feickert Elementary. Elk Grove police were notified. Amazon, UPS and FedEx will send you a notification when a package is delivered. You can also have your packaged delivered to the local UPS Store. Check your local listing for the store nearest you.

Also during this time of year thefts from mailboxes increase as well. Stealing US mail is a Federal crime and the US Postal Service takes this very seriously.  You are encouraged to pick up your mail daily as soon as you can.

There are also video surveillance systems that can be purchased. One that is becoming very popular is the Ring Video Doorbell. It will take a video anytime someone comes to your door. It will immediately send you a notification and you can talk to the person that is there.

The Elk Grove Police Department has the following tips for holiday online shoppers:

1. Schedule your package delivery for a time that you are home, or you can also have your package delivered to your work during business hours.

2. Have the package either delivered to a trusted neighbor or have the trusted neighbor pick up the package from your front porch and keep it for you until you get home.

3. If you are an Amazon user, you can take advantage of Amazon Locker, where you can pick up your package from local pickup locations.

3. You also can ask the shipper to require a signature confirmation of delivery in order to prevent packages being left when no one is home to sign for them. It also is helpful to provide delivery instructions so packages can be left out of sight from your yard or the road.

4. Sign up for delivery alerts from the shipper — you’ll know as soon as it’s delivered!

5. If something is stolen, file a police report IMMEDIATELY. Don’t wait.

6. Watch out for vehicles following delivery vans through neighborhoods. Some thieves will simply shadow deliver drivers and go from house to house stealing newly delivered packages.

7. Report all suspicious activity to the Elk Grove Police Department at (916) 714-5115 (non-emergency) or 9-1-1 for a crime in progress.