Madison County deputies warn residents of ‘porch pirates’

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. ( WHNT ) — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of people who may steal packages left on doorsteps or porches of homes throughout the area also known as ‘porch pirates.’

A Madison County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said that the thieves will target online packages that people order like Amazon packages and that they target homes at any point of the day or throughout the night.

In the latest act of stealing packages, deputies are currently asking the public for assistance is identifying a person accused of stealing packages from a home in the Indian Creek Cove area.

Anyone who may have information can contact Detective Peter Eckerd at (256)-532-4099.

Some tips that deputies are encouraging residents to heed to include tracking your packages, signing up for delivery alerts, use a secure drop-off location, install package lockers, keep valuables out of sight, consider a smart doorbell camera to monitor porch motion and suspicious activity, and to report any suspicious activity to authorities.

Victims of these crimes should report the incident to law enforcement and keep any evidence such as security footage or package tracking information.

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