Several Homes Hit By Package Thieves Around East Atlanta

DECATUR, GA -- A bold thief has been walking up to porches in the East Atlanta area and stealing packages.

Two incidents in the Oakhurst and Kirkwood communities have authorities on alert as the holiday season enters the home stretch.

One resident said that he tracked his package, like he was supposed to, and found that it was delivered to his doorstep last week -- but it was gone when he came home.

“I checked my UPS tracking for my package and noticed it had been delivered around 1:50 p.m. that day,” Clarence Solodkin told WSB-TV.

He said that he's learned a valuable lesson about delivery options as a result of the thievery.

“You can either get it delivered to your office while you’re there, or specifically ask for the postal service to sign off for the package,” he was quoted as saying.

Package thieves have been targeting homes around Atlanta and Decatur this holiday season. In one metro Atlanta neighborhood, packages were stolen from three homes in the same day. In another, a security camera recorded a man stealing a Christmas wreath from a home's front door. And in Marietta, police issued tips to homeowners to protect them.

One way homeowners can prevent doorstep thieves is by choosing the "sign for" delivery option. This essentially means that the delivery driver can't just leave the package unattended at your doorstep. Someone -- presumably you, but even someone you specifically designate -- must sign for it.

Area businesses are also increasingly willing to let patrons use their stores as package drop-off points, which adds a layer of security to the delivery process.

Read more at Patch: 'Package pirates' target Cobb neighborhood

Image via Pixabay