Yesterday we put out a lengthy community message regarding recent package thefts in our community. Here are some tips we think will help keep your deliveries safe:
Protect Incoming Mail and Packages:
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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.
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Replace your mailbox with one that has a locking device.
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The U.S. Postal Service can hold your mail if you’ll be traveling during the holidays.
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Use your workplace as the shipping address or ship to a location where someone is always home.
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Track your shipments by phone or online so that you know what day they should arrive.
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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.
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Keep an eye on your neighborhood and report suspicious persons and vehicles sitting or cruising the area.
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Use a shipping company that offers locker delivery services. Instead of delivering a package to your home or business address, you can select an location and pick up your package at a time that's convenient for you. Once your package is delivered to the locker, you'll receive an e-mail notification with a unique pickup code that includes the address and opening times for your selected locker location.
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Request a signature delivery option if available, or request the shipment be held at the shipping facility.
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Check with “mailbox” businesses in Fremont and see if they will accept shipment of your item for a fee.
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Install a video camera on the front of your home or doorstep.
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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.
Protect Outgoing Mail and Packages:
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Do not leave outgoing mail with checks or money orders in your personal mailbox for pick up by the mail carrier. Take your mail to a postal collection box. If you leave outgoing mail in your mailbox, don’t raise the flag.
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Further protect yourself by hand delivering your mail to a post office.
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Do not leave packages on your front porch for pick up by private carriers. Using commercial companies does not necessarily mean your packages will be safer. Often when drivers deliver packages, they leave them sitting on the front porch. Thieves will drive around neighborhoods looking for boxes on porches to steal.
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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.
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Purchase insurance for packages you are sending for the replacement cost of the items shipped. Most carriers and the United States Postal Service offer insurance.
