Darien police recently asked the public if they can identify a man caught on camera this past weekend and suspected of stealing a package left in front of a home on Hollow Tree Ridge Road.
The problem of “porch pilfering” is longstanding, goes well beyond Darien and could always get worse as the convenient practice of ordering items online and getting home deliveries increases. Here’s some advice.
Greenwich Police Department posted these tips on preventing porch piracy Wednesday on Facebook: (with information we’ve added on two places we know of in Darien, besides the Post Office, that will hold packages for you):
Porch pirates are thieves who drive through residential neighborhoods checking front porches for packages that have been delivered but not yet retrieved by their rightful owners.
There are several things you can do to prevent it from happening to you:
Image from Greenwich P.D. on Facebook
Arrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!
1 – If possible, have your packages delivered to your workplace instead of your home.
2 – Have your packages delivered to a trusted friend or relative’s home instead of yours.
3 – If you receive lots of packages it might be worth the trouble and expense to rent a post office box just to receive your packages. That way you’ll be able to pick them up at your leisure.
4 – Check the tracking info for each of your expected deliveries every morning so you’ll know exactly when a package is supposed to arrive. Most carriers will change the status to “Out For Delivery” as soon as the package is loaded onto the truck for delivery to your home.
5– Ask your neighbors to give you a call if they happen to see a package sitting on your porch. Who knows, you might be in the shower or napping on the couch and not realize that the delivery van has come and gone.
In Darien
Photo provided by Darien Police Department
Know this man? Please contact Darien Police, who would would like to talk to him: “Anyone with information is asked to contact this agency at 203-662-5300. Thank you for assistance.”
These are the places we’ve found in Darien where you can get an incoming package held, so you don’t have to worry about it getting stolen from your doorstep:
—If you have a post office box at Darien Post Office, you can pick up a package there. If you don’t have a post office box, the U.S. Postal Service has a “Package Intercept” service.
—Walgreens, at 138 Heights Road will hold a FedEx package for you, according to FedEx.
—The UPS Store in Goodwives Shopping Center, 25 Old Kings Hwy. North, will hold your UPS packages for you. Here’s what their website says: “When you open a mailbox at The UPS Store, you get a lot more than just a box with a key. You’ll get package acceptance from all shipping carriers, mail receipt notifications, and a real street address in 06820, not just a PO Box #.”