LAURENS, S.C. (WSPA) — The Laurens Police Department is warning about porch pirates as the holidays approach.
Lt. Scott Franklin told 7NEWS Tuesday the department received two reports of packages being stolen within 48 hours.
“We see an uptick around this time of year because packages are readily available,” said Franklin.
Franklin explained people go through neighborhoods specifically looking for packages that are left outside. If the person spots a package, it can be stolen quickly.
“We don’t encourage anybody to leave a package out all day if possible,” said Franklin.
Officers suggest taking steps to secure your package before it is delivered.
“You want to ask the deliverers to put them in a non-conspicuous location,” said Franklin. “The best practice is to schedule your package to be there when you know you’re going to be there, or if you have a neighbor who can pick it up for you or be on the lookout for you.”
Security experts also suggest having your package delivered to a store or post office and investing in security or doorbell cameras.
“Doorbell cameras have been an amazing asset in identifying these individuals,” said Franklin. “Of course, we want to get them identified as quickly as we can.”
Once the person is identified, Franklin said they will be charged based on how much the package was worth.
“Anything over $2,000 would be grand larceny,” said Franklin. “Anything under that would be petty larceny.”
Any Laurens resident who believes their package was stolen can call the police department at (864) 984-3531.
