With the holiday season now in full swing, law enforcement wants to make sure New Yorkers stay safe.
They ask residents to be mindful as they have packages delivered and to be on the lookout for porch pirates who may be trying to steal deliveries.
Residents are asked to be wary of possible holiday scams, whether those be over the phone, via text or online.
If someone is asking for personal information, officials say residents should verify who they are with, and if there are still any doubts, hang up and dial 911.
Law enforcement is also working with local malls and stores in an effort to cut down on retail theft this time of year. And as you hit the roads this holiday season, make sure you leave plenty of time to travel and your car is outfitted for any possible winter weather.
Here’s what one county sheriff had to say as you order your packages this Black Friday and await your deliveries:
“The biggest one is the online deliveries you know and people stealing off of porches the Amazon deliveries and things like that,” Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said. “So that’s the biggest one where we’re curious about this year is people keep track of their packages when they’re being delivered. [People] have a security system set up. Or [they see] if the package is going to be on your front porch for a while maybe have a neighbor grab it. There’s lots of options. [You can] have it delivered to your workplace or even have it delivered to a friend’s house.”