The Aegis
BALTIMORE — Package theft is a common occurrence every day, and particularly during the holidays, but the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps is offering a new service to help assure that your special gift is delivered to you without the possibility of being taken from your porch or walkway.
That’s especially relevant with reports this week that the Harford County Sheriff’s Office has received four reports of packages being stolen off of porches and that the Howard County Police arrested two Baltimore men Wednesday night and charged them with stealing 77 packages during a sweep of neighborhoods earlier that day in Columbia.
“We hear all the time that packages are stolen from the front porch of homes all the time,” Mark Hemler, of the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps, wrote in an email announcing the program. “The Ambulance Corps is here to try and help make sure that everyone receives their package.”
Here’s how Ambulance Corps members say it works:
First, when you order a gift, have it addressed to the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps, 1601 Level Road, Havre de Grace, MD, 21078.
Next, track your package online to make sure it has been delivered to the Ambulance Corps.
Finally, stop by the Ambulance Corps Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., to pick up the package, bringing identification matching the name on the package. You can then sign for the package, and it will be on its way to be placed under your Christmas tree.
Package theft is a crime of opportunity, particularly during the Christmas holiday season, Ambulance Corps officials noted in a news release.
Thieves often target neighborhoods with drive- or walk-by surveillance, looking for potential things of value to steal, and sometimes they might even follow delivery trucks and snatch the package as soon as it is dropped off.
Four package thefts have been reported to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office in the past 30 days, with the most recent theft happening earlier this week, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cristie Kahler. The locations of the thefts have been “spread throughout the county,” she wrote in an email Thursday.
“We remind the public to the extent possible; schedule deliveries at a time someone will be home, have packages delivered to friends or family that will be available to accept the delivery, use an office address when possible, and keep a close watch on your package tracking information so you can report any inconsistencies as soon as possible,” Kahler stated.
With the new service from the Ambulance Corps, members said, people don’t have to worry whether their package will still be there when they get home from work.
There is no charge for the service, and packages will be secured inside the Ambulance Corps until addressees arrive, show proper identification, and pick them up.
Anyone choosing to use this service, Ambulance Corps officials said, are always welcome to call the Ambulance Corps at 410-939-6658 and someone will gladly tell them if their package is waiting to be picked up.
The Ambulance Corps is there to be a good neighbor and to help, not only during life-saving times, officials said
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