To prevent porch pirates, this police offers its address for package delivery

If you happen to stop by the Round Rock Police Department around this time of year, don’t be surprised to see a number of boxes and packages in the building.

That’s because Round Rock residents can now ship their packages directly to the police department for free through December 20 to help prevent the possibility of package theft.

The program is called “Operation Front Portal.”

“If you have those packages delivered to your home, you have those thieves – we also call them porch pirates – helping themselves to those unattended packages,” said Police Chief Allen Banks. “This is what we are trying to prevent.”

Banks told KUT that the program also helps free up officers so they can respond to other crimes.

“It keeps them available to handle high-priority calls, rather than reporting a missing toaster,” he said.

He said residents have up to three days to collect their parcels once they arrive at the police station.

And contrary to popular belief, Banks says, agents don’t go through or search packages.

‘We don’t do that. We’ll put it in a secure location and wait for you to come pick it up,” he said.

Banks said the department also offers “safety exchange zones” in the lobby and parking lot for residents who use Craigslist or other exchange websites to buy or sell items.

“It is well lit and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

Other police departments in the Austin area – including Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Manor, Pflugerville and San Marcos – offer similar programs.

The Austin Police Department also notes that vehicle crimes tend to increase during the holidays. Are website warns that thieves typically target vehicles in popular shopping areas, such as malls and convenience stores.

To prevent theft, the department advises residents to always lock their cars, take all keys with them and not leave valuables in plain sight.