Ill. PD Mulls Accepting Packages to Curb Holiday 'Porch Pirates'

The Palos Park Police Department is considering taking on “porch pirates” this holiday season by allowing residents to ship their packages to an area police station.

During the holiday season, police typically warn residents about an uptick in packages stolen from front porches. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Palos Park police said residents are more likely to shop for gifts online which increases the possibility for potential theft.

Palos Park residents may soon be able to ship their packages to the police station and pick up their packages from the lobby with proper identification.

“Palos Park police are proactively patrolling for porch pirates in residential areas this year as more people than ever are doing their holiday shopping online due to the pandemic,” police said in a news release. “Regrettably it is Christmas every day for thieves, with so many people doing their holiday shopping online.”

Palos Park police Chief Joe Miller said Monday the program is still being finalized, but should be available by early next week, including details on where packages can be shipped and for how long.

Dolton police Chief Robert Collins said the department does not allow residents to ship packages to its department, but he called it “a great PR idea.”

“If I had the space and the personnel to handle something like this, I’d try it,” Collins said.

The department recommends residents have a neighbor pick up a package or to have packages delivered to their place of business “yet package theft continues to be a problem, especially around Christmas,” Collins said.

Oak Forest police Chief Jason Reid said his department does not allow residents to have packages delivered to the police station because of liability concerns in case something broke or was lost at the station.

“We usually recommend to people if you have a package that has a high value to either send it to your place of business, if they allow that, or if you have a friend or family member close by that you could either have pick it up at your home or ship it directly to them if they’re going to be home,” Reid said.

Tinley Park police Chief Matthew Walsh said he does not foresee the department allowing residents to ship packages to the police station. Tinley Park has about 60,000 residents, so receiving packages and verifying recipients would be difficult, he said.

“I don’t know how we would monitor that,” Walsh said. “That would be very labor intensive.”

In recent years, reports of package thefts around the holidays have been on the rise as people order more packages through online retailers.

UPS drivers try to leave packages out of plain sight to protect them, according to the company, but customers should check all exterior doors or places such as a porch, back patio or garage for packages. Customers should also check with anyone who may have picked up the package, such as a neighbor.

If the customer still can’t find a UPS package that was marked delivered, he or should could file a claim online.

Amazon’s advice to customers if a package is marked as delivered but hasn’t been arrived is to verify the shipping address, look for a notice of attempted delivery and to check if the package was placed in a different area at the delivery address. Customers should also check if someone else accepted the delivery and check the mailbox because some packages are shipped through mail carriers.

In rare cases, packages could be marked as delivered up to 48 hours before arrival, according to Amazon. If a package doesn’t arrive, customers should contact Amazon within 30 days of the expected delivery date.

Amazon also has self-service lockers or staffed counter locations where customers can have their packages delivered.

An Amazon hub locker is located near the Golf Galaxy at Lake View Plaza, 15758 S. La Grange Road, Orland Park. Lauren Dierkes, a lead at the Golf Galaxy location, said occasionally people will come into the store looking for the locker hub.

While Dierkes has seen few people use the locker, she said they are a smart option for customers, especially those who live in an apartment complex.

“I don’t think it's used a lot, from what I see. I bet there’s someone every day, but I don’t think it’s a lot of people,” Dierkes said.

_______

Visit chicagotribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.