ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — It’s the most wonderful and busiest time of the year.
Navigating the holidays can be challenging enough never mind the added stress of potential theft.
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Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons is encouraging folks not to leave packages outdoors and unattended for too long.
“If you have a lot of packages on your front porch, one or more of those may be of value; they call them porch pirates,” Simmons said. “They may run up there and try to take them.”
He said to be wary of what types of packaging you are discarding in your trash as it could bring unwanted attention.
“We’ve had people, during our conversations with the ‘bad guys,’ that see what kind of boxes you throw away, see if you put computers and TVs, so they know there’s maybe a potential to burglarize that home,” Simmons said.
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However, one’s home isn’t the only place the sheriff’s office is warning of potential theft. Because of that holiday shopping, deputies typically see a rise in purse snatching and phone theft in parking lots throughout December.