Police warn of holiday porch pirates amid rising thefts countywide
By Jazmon DeJarnette
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MARINA, California (KSBW) — Concern is growing as the holiday season approaches and porch pirates are coming around to steal packages off people’s doorsteps.
As the Marina Police Department expects those thefts to rise through the holidays, people who live here say they’re prepared.
“What we do is if we’re not going to be here, we know we’re going to get a package, then we ask our neighbors to take it for us. So it’s a lot of it is communication with your neighbors,” said Rich Andrews, a Marina resident.
“Setting up a camera will be really helpful as well to just catch these porch pirates,” said Jacqueline Joseph, another Marina resident.
It’s not just the Dunes at Monterey Bay neighborhood. Video from Del Rey Oaks police shows someone grabbing a package and taking off.
In Salinas, a Creekbridge resident was also hit. You can see in the video the package being taken and the thief walking away.
“They will typically walk to avoid any kind of, just, interest in the public. Like they just about to knock on the door and they will, grab the package and run back to the car and drive off,” said Michael Ball, sergeant at Marina Police Department.
If you’re ever the victim of something like this, police say to file a police report right away and send them any video you have.
“We will place a still image of the suspect on a wanted poster, and that gets electronically broadcast throughout the area,” said Ball.
Police also suggest requesting signatures for packages, scheduling delivery times and setting up delivery notifications.
This Marina neighborhood, which sees theft year after year, is just hoping these porch pirates leave their packages alone.
“I just hope that nobody has to encounter that horrible experience of losing something they ordered and really want to have,” said Andrews.
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