Decatur PD’s Jennifer Ross writes in with this report and tips…
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On Tuesday, 12-3rd packages were stolen from the doorsteps of two units at Talley Street Lofts. At one of the units, two packages were stolen and six were left behind with one of the six having been opened. (Delivered at approximately 2:30pm and discovered missing at 6pm)
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On Thursday, 12-5th packages were stolen from the doorstep of a residence in the 200 block of Lansdowne Avenue. (Delivered at approximately 1:50pm and discovered missing at 4pm)
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On Thursday, 12-5th a package was stolen from the doorstep of a unit at Talley Street Lofts, and two other packages were left behind. (Delivered at approximately 12pm and discovered missing at 7:30pm)
The stolen packages contained electronics, clothing, accessories and household items. All of the stolen packages were delivered by UPS.
I know one of the biggest reasons many of us shop online is the convenience of having what we ordered shipped directly to us but unfortunately thieves use our timesaving efforts as a way to do a little “shopping” of their own, especially during the holiday season. I have yet to recover the case of “Kind Bars” I ordered a few months back, in an effort to save a little money with a bulk sale price and free shipping, that sprouted feet and sent me on a personal investigation that lasted weeks and ended in me having $50.00 less than when I started and no Kind Bars. Since parcel bandits are trying to intervene in our holiday fun, here are some tips to help prevent package thefts.
- If possible, ship your packages to your work location or a location where you know someone will be there to receive the package such as the home of a friend or loved one who you know is home during the day.
- Request that a signature be required to deliver the package.
- Track your packages and ask a family member, friend or neighbor to look out and take the packages in when they arrive.
- If you live at a location that requires passcode or keycard entry, do not let people you do not know tag-a-long behind you and enter the property. If they are aggressive, do not confront them, call police immediately and provide a detailed description of the person, what they are wearing and where they were last seen.
- If you observe people you do not recognize on a neighbor’s property, pay attention and if it appears they are removing packages, call police immediately and provide the same descriptive information and also watch to see if the person goes back to a vehicle and provide a description of the vehicle and their direction of travel.
- Keep an eye out in your neighborhood for vehicles that appear to be following delivery trucks and stopping at locations where the delivery trucks just made a delivery.
Also, UPS offers an option to schedule your deliveries and receive an alert by voice, email or text message notifying you the day before your package will be delivered. You can then reroute or reschedule the delivery if you need to do so. Go to http://www.ups.com/mychoice/ to check out this option.
Another option is to have the package rerouted to a UPS Store. The store will hold the package until the consumer can go and pick it up. Consumers can always change the delivery address on UPS.com or by calling 1-800-PICK-UPS. Consumers can also request “signature required service” and UPS drivers will not deliver the package until they receive an adult signature.
If you are using a different shipping company, find out what options are available for a more secure delivery. Monitor and inventory your deliveries and don’t assume your packages were sent in separate shipments. In two of the three recent cases, some packages were stolen while some were left behind.
The non-emergency number for the Decatur Police Department is .
(If you see my runaway case of Kind Bars cruising the city, let me know.)
The package stolen on Thursday from Talley Street Lofts was mine: a 30-lb bag of dog food. I hope they thought it was a flat screen in that big box and bring it back before my dogs starve. If you see anyone wandering Decatur trying to fence a big bag of kibble, please call the cops.
Reputable companies will not allow a hi-tech item to be dropped without a signature, but of course the criminals, being stupid, don’t think of such things.
These companies are shipping computers and electronics in the original boxes which display exactly what is in them. UPS is leaving them on the door step. I don’t think UPS is even ringing doorbells anymore. They seem to just drop and run. Delivering to work or the UPS store seem to be the best options.
I don’t know… in some cases a 30 pound bag of dog food costs about as much as a 32 inch tv.
Well, I just found out that somebody stole the stroller that was delivered to us. What the hell is wrong with people.
File a report. Maybe DPD can do a sweep 10 minutes behind the UPS trucks around town.
Yes, do call and make a report to the police. It may help in a larger picture that you don’t see or you or the shipper may want it for insurance purposes.
Thanks. I’m hoping it is still sitting on the truck. Called DPD last night. Moving on to the shipper (UPS) and the store.
Hard to believe that it has come to this.
Pretty dastardly. And a stroller box probably had its contents on the box in picture form so it couldn’t have been mistaken for a flat screen TV. Of course, many strollers now cost as much as flat screen TVs….
After reading this, I thought I should check on a delivery I was expecting. UPS tracking says it was delivered on 12/5 at 10:43am – no pkg was waiting for me Thursday.
Clicked on the proof-of-delivery link and wait, no, it was delivered yesterday at 4:30pm to the front door.
Except we were home yesterday at 4:30pm … hmmm. I think my pkg is still riding around on some UPS truck, while the holiday temp driver marks everything “delivered” so it doesn’t show up on a manager’s report.
I have those kind of weird delivery reports for non-deliveries from time to time. Usually what happens is that I get a replacement shipment and then the original shipment shows up. Real pain in the neck.
Hey, since you’re At Home, maybe you could start a little business accepting deliveries for people? I can pay you in Peppermint Joe-Joe’s – not as valuable as bitcoins, but much tastier.
Hmmm. This has potential……
As an aside, the biggest packages to show up on our doorstep are when we order recycled paper towels and toilet paper in bulk. They come in moving wardrobe size boxes. I wonder how many times they’ve attracted thieves who pick them up and then realize there’s no way there’s electronics inside. Plus they won’t fit in most cars.
I made the mistake this summer of having a package delivered to my home in not-Decatur. I got a call from a neighbor that she had seen some kids grab it from my porch. I reported it to the DeKalb County Police because they had also ripped a screen from a window and it was an attempted B&E. The cop who came two hours later asked me what was in the box. He got a good laugh when I told him it was a hand carved wooden statue of James Brown.
Yep. We’re down a package as well. Boo!
I am grateful that I am permitted to have my personal packages delivered to my place of employment.
I’ve thought about having packages delivered to my work. Definitely safer.