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Round Rock PD offers safe place for package delivery
The Round Rock Police Department is once again allowing residents to ship their packages to the police station for pick up.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Round Rock residents who need a place to have their holiday shopping delivered can use the police headquarters on Mays Street.
Police Chief Allen Banks says its Operation Front Porch program is convenient and a crime deterrent.
"We do not want to give thieves that opportunity, and we want our citizens to have a great holiday season without having to worry about those packages being left on that front porch while they're waiting, whether they're at work, on vacation or whatever," Banks said.
Operation Front Porch runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 20.
Packages cannot weigh more than 50 pounds.
Items can be picked up Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Packages must be picked up within three days of arrival, and there will be no pick-ups during the Thanksgiving holiday.
You'll need an ID and proof of purchase for pickup. If the package is for your child, you'll need to provide proof of guardianship and/or have the child’s identification.
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Porch pirates caught on camera stealing packages from several homes in Manchaca
One neighbor said his package was stolen right from his front porch in a matter of minutes from it being delivered.
Since the program began in 2018, Round Rock Police averages about 230 packages each year.
"Additionally, we ask our citizens to, if it's not us that they use, to use one of the boxes from any of the companies where they can have their packages delivered. Again, our whole goal is to keep these porch pirates away from our city," Banks said.
A report from security.org determined that last year in the U.S., porch pirates stole 58 million packages with a value of more than $12 billion. Apartments and townhome locations were the top targets.
Banks told FOX 7 that using a safe delivery location like RRPD allows patrol officers to answer higher priority calls. Banks also warned not to confront a porch pirate if you catch them in the act.
"Be a good witness. Call the police. Let the police come out and do their investigation. Take a report. You can't. You can't replace a life, but you can replace a piece of property," Banks said.
One other piece of advice was offered by the chief.
"If there is a message, I would go out to porch pirates where, say, Round Rock is watching not only at the police department, but our community is watching as well. And this isn't the place for me to come in," Banks said.
Person to person sales, like those made on Facebook Marketplace, can be done at the department's Safety Exchange Zone. That site is available year-round.