MENTOR, Ohio — As delivery services ramp up their workflow for the holiday season, the heightened threat of porch pirates has caused Mentor police to increase their efforts to protect residents from thieves.
In a press release, a spokesperson from the Mentor Police Department not only detailed the department's efforts to stop porch pirates, but offered tips to those planning on having packages delivered over the next month.
Officers will utilize a "variety" of tools including surveillance equipment, unmarked vehicles and "bait boxes" that contain GPS tracking in a direct effort to combat holiday season thefts.
They also say that while the department will be hard at work to protect the community, it is important for residents to take their own precautions to help keep their deliveries safe.
The department offered the following tips for residents to prevent delivery theft:
- Track your online orders
- Remove packages from porch as soon as they are delivered
- Consider installing security cameras
- Keep an eye out for thefts happening to neighbors
- Write down liscence plate numbers of suspicious cars and contact police
- Make sure to give detailed description of any suspicious vehicles, suspects and stolen property that can lead to an arrest
Mentor police say that those convicted of these kind of thefts can face up to six months in jail, even for first time offenders.
They ask anyone who thinks they may be a victim of theft to contact them at 440-255-1234.