Skip to main content

Police Blotter

Beware of Porch Pirates! Protect Your Doorstep

November 18, 2020 9:44 AM

It's that time of year for giving... and taking.  With so many people shopping online because of the pandemic, we are expected to have a record-breaking year for home deliveries and Porch Pirates this holiday season.

These adventurous thieves feast on crimes of opportunity and convenience, often finding their biggest bounty in apartment complexes and vulnerable front porches. 

We're sure you'd like to keep those deliveries this season so you can give them as gifts to friends and family, and not the lurking #PorchPirates.

Here are a few package theft prevention tips:

  • Have your packages held at your local carrier facility for pickup
  • Take advantage of "Ship To Store" for curbside pickup or Amazon's "Locker" feature
  • Request that your package has a signature confirmation upon delivery
  • Ask your carrier to place packages in an area out of plain view
  • Have packages delivered to your work
  • Schedule delivery for times you will be home
  • Have packages delivered to a neighbor who is home
  • Monitor your front porch (Xfinity Home, Ring doorbell, Nest and others)

Since they are already on your property and porch, some of these #PorchPirates will also check for unlocked doors. So, make sure that the exterior of your home and any vehicles are locked up every day and night!

The Madison Police Department sees a lot of neighborhoods fall victim to theft from autos and garages when the majority of these crimes can be deterred from simply locking them up! Follow Madison Police Department on social media for periodic safety tips and friendly reminders to Lock-It-Up! #NIGHTLYLOCKUP #9PMROUTINE

Vacation Watch:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/forms/vacationWatch.cfm

Camera Registration

http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/forms/securityCamera.cfm

Link to Flyers/Pamphlets on Safety

http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/safety/crimeprevention/

 Email to a friend

Subscribe to Email List

Subscribe to the Police Blotter email list:

By participating on this list the Wisconsin Public Records Laws may subject your email address to disclosure to third parties. By selecting "Yes" you are requesting that we treat your email address that you have provided to this list as confidential and you are also stating that you would not participate in this service if the City is obligated to release your email address to such third party requesters.

Posts By Month

Posts By Category

Tags

#Back2SchoolSAFETYTIPS  #BattleOfTheBadges  #beneighborly  #Captain Brian Austin  #ClickItOrTicket  #CoffeeWithACop  #CommunitySurvey  #ConeWithACop  #DriveSoberOrGetPulledOver  #DrugTakeBack  #FindYOURBlueCalling  #GoodNeighborProject  #HelicopterParent  #lovemadison  #MPDMotorUnit  #NightlyLockup  #PrideMonth  #SafetyTips  #ScamAlert  #seesomethingsaysomething  #SouthSideSoccerSeries  #VisionZeroMadison  #WeAreThe28  #westdistrictstrategicplan  #YouCanBeYOU  Amigos en Azul  Bigs In Blue  Bike Rides  Black Youth Academy  Budget Process  Capt. Cory Nelson  Captain Ackeret  Captain Beckett  Captain Freedman  Captain Patton  Central District  Ceremonies  Chief Barnes  Citizen Recognition  Coffee with a Cop  Community Academy  Community Awards  Community Events  Community Forums  Community Gang Outreach  Community Outreach  Community Partnership  Community Policing  Community Survey  CORE  CRASE  Crime Prevention  Crime Stoppers  Crossing Guards  Cyber Detective Camp  Cyber Safety  Damaged Property  Downtown Safety  Driving Safely  East District  East High School  Edgewood College  Education Resource Officer  Emily Samson  Events  Explorers Post  Facebook  Fireside Five-Oh  Fireside Five-Oh  Good Neighbor Project  Guerrilla Grillers  Guerrilla Grillers  homeless  Investigations  Join the Team  K9  LaFollette High School  LeadsOnline  Lieutenant Lori Beth Chalecki  Lieutenant Patterson  Madison Area Addiction Recovery Initiative (MAARI)  Madison Area Recovery Initiative (MARI)  Madison Community Policing Foundation  Madison Parks  Madison Schools  MedDrop Box  Midtown District  Midtown Strategic Plan  MMSD  Mobile Device Safety  Mounted Patrol  MPD Awards Ceremony  National Night Out  Neighborhood Police Officers  Neighborhood Watch  New Recruits  North District  North District  Pawn Shops  Pedestrian Safety  Personal Safety  Phishing Scams  Police Biking  Property Crimes  Red Cross Blood Drive  Registered Sex Offender  Residential Burglaries  Road Home  Road Home  Robberies  Safe Communities  Safety in the Home  Safety Saturday  Secondhand Business  Self Report Unit  Sex Offender Information Bulletin  Shooting  Shout Out  Social Media  Solicitor Permits  South District  Southwest Safety Initiative  Spanish  Special Olympics  State St  Straubel  Straubel  SWAT  Torch Run  Traffic Concerns  Traffic Enforcement Safety Team (TEST)  Twitter  UW-Madison  Weapons Offenses  West Community Academy  West District  Youth Programs  Zero in Wisconsin