12/19
by News Department on 12/19/16Package theft...
The holiday season is here and that brings out a new type of thief....authorities are calling them "Porch Pirates," Thieves who scope out your porch for deliveries and steal them.
At least a dozen of packages have been stolen, in the Hazleton area, in the last two weeks and Hazleton police say they are now setting up a sting operation to catch, or at least deter, the porch pirates.
Authorities say they are going to conduct surveillance while placing packages on different porches in locations based on crime patterns and will arrest the thieves when they attempt to take the packages.
Police are also working with delivery companies and may follow some of their trucks into areas that are known to be high risk areas and keep an eye out for porch pirates.
Investigators also urge residents to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Police say that some of these Porch Pirates may even dress in clothing to look like they work for a delivery company and note that the easiest way to prevent theft is to require a signature on the packages.
