We are embarking upon the busiest time of the year for mail deliveries. We want to help you enjoy your holidays and not become a victim of package theft. We have compiled a list of tips that we think will help keep your deliveries safe this holiday season:
Protect Outgoing Mail and Packages:
•Do not leave outgoing mail with checks, money or money orders in your personal mailbox for pick up by the mail carrier. If you leave outgoing mail in your mailbox, don’t raise the flag. Further protect yourself by hand delivering your mail to a post office or a postal collection box.
•Do not leave packages on your front porch for pick up by private or commercial carriers. Take the packages to the post office or a local carrier company.
•If you are sending a package, let the person you are sending it to know that it is coming and when to expect it to arrive so they can make arrangements for pick up.
•Purchase insurance for the replacement cost of the items you are sending. Most carriers and the United States Postal Service offer insurance.
•Get to know your carriers. If there has been a problem with stolen packages in your neighborhood, tell them about it.
Protect Incoming Mail and Packages:
•Promptly retrieve your mail: The United States Postal Inspection Service strongly recommends that you pick up mail from your mailbox as soon as possible after delivery, especially if you are expecting to receive a check or merchandise.
•Replace your mailbox with one that has a locking device.
•The U.S. Postal Service can hold your mail if you’ll be traveling during the holidays. Contact the post office to make arrangements.
•Use your workplace as the shipping address or ship to a location where someone is always home.
•Track your shipments by phone or online so that you know what day they should arrive. If friends/relatives are sending something, ask them to send you the tracking number.
•Be a good neighbor and keep an eye out for packages that were delivered to neighboring houses.
•Report suspicious persons and vehicles sitting or cruising around your neighborhood right away to the Fremont Police Department. During the holidays, thieves drive around looking for packages left on porches to steal. If you are able to, try to get a license plate of the vehicle and a good description of the suspicious person(s).
•If you can’t pick up your mail or have a package scheduled for delivery, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick it up for you.
•Request a signature delivery option if available, or request the shipment be held at the shipping facility.
•Check with “mailbox” businesses in Fremont and see if they will accept shipment of your item for a fee.
•Some companies offer delivery to a locker storage location. You can add the locker address location to your address book and then select it when you designate your shipping address.
•If you do not receive your shipment on time, check with the company of origin and confirm the delivery. If the item was delivered and you did not receive it, then report the theft or loss to the original company, the shipping company, and the Fremont Police Department.
•If you do get a package stolen and you have video surveillance cameras, make sure to check the footage for possible suspect leads and provide this information to the Fremont Police Officers investigating the case. Please mention the video when you call our non-emergency number at 510-790-6800 and select option 3.
Please report all suspicious activity by calling the Fremont Police Department. For a non-emergency dial 510-790-6800 and select option 3, for a crime in-progress, dial 9-1-1.
