Keller police allowing people to have packages delivered to police headquarters to help stop porch thefts
KELLER, Texas - The Keller Police Department is trying a new method in an attempt to get ahead a porch pirates, which is common this time of the year.
The department is offering the people of Keller the opportunity to have their packages delivered to police headquarters.
It only takes a second for a thief to make off with your special delivery, and the chance of it happening now - during the holidays - is higher than typical.
Keller PD is trying something new to prevent it from happening.
They got this idea after seeing the good results another department in Central Texas is having with it, also pointing out the key component is volunteers who are willing to help.
"It’s going to start actually [Friday], and it’s going to go for three weeks," Keller Police Chief Brad Fortune said. "They can have them delivered straight to our police department here."
From now through December 22, the department urges anyone who lives or works in the city of Keller to have packages under 50 pounds shipped to the police department’s address.
Volunteers will accept them and then store them securely until the owner arrives.
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A recent report said three out of four Americans had a package swiped in the past 12 months, equating to over 119 million stolen packages.
Trevor Palmeri, a trained volunteer assisting the department for seven months, is looking forward to helping out. He and others will intercept packages and work the claims process.
"Document them when they come, define who they belong to. There’s a sorting process, and when somebody comes to pick up their packages, they have to show some ID," he explained.
The Keller police chief believes the package theft prevention will go a long way and allow officers to focus on more serious crime.
"We have enough going on in our normal crime, we don’t need to be responding to the increased crime just because of the holidays," Fortune said. "So if this can stop some our officers from having to respond to certain thefts unnecessarily, then it’s worth it.