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Package thefts on the rise moving into the holiday season

ANIRUDH
/
Unsplash

With the holidays approaching, Utah police are warning residents of an increase in package thefts.

Sgt. Greg Moffitt with the Sandy Police Department says that they’ve recently stepped up enforcement and patrols in local neighborhoods hoping to combat these “porch pirates.” Last week, Sandy officers arrested even people involved with package thefts through the help of doorbell camera footage.

But Sandy hasn’t been the only area struck by these porch pirates, as the Spanish Fork area also saw a few thefts on Monday. Monica, a resident living in the Spanish Fork area, says that they saw thieves walk up and steal items right off their porch after checking their doorbell camera footage. The thieves stole more than $100 of makeup and Christmas gifts and according to Monica, it made her family feel violated and upset.

Moffitt says that package theft and mail theft are actually third-degree felonies and because these things have been such a problem, there’s also a lot of identity theft that comes out of these incidents.

To prevent it, Moffitt says that people can require a signature before their package is dropped off, but it all boils down to the neighborhood keeping an eye on thieves. He believes that by having trustworthy neighbors, it’s easy to look out for each other.

Jared Gereau is pursuing a Journalism major with an emphasis in Social Media at Utah State University. He is planning on using his experience to pursue a career with USU Athletics sometime after he graduates. In his free time, Jared enjoys watching movies, playing games and creating content for his YouTube channel.