GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo -- The countdown to Christmas is on and the last thing anyone wants is some Grinch stealing holiday packages off the front porch.
Greenwood Village Police are conducting patrols to check on those deliveries and make sure they get to their rightful owner. Our Denver7 crew tagged along with Office Wes Cordova as he drove around neighborhoods looking for packages that might be vulnerable.
"We're proactively trying to prevent it before it happens because catching people after the crime occurs is always the harder thing to do," said Officer Cordova.
He stopped at several houses Thursday to knock on doors and let homeowners know they had a package. If they weren't home he tried to move the package to an area where it would be less visible from the road.
"I mean, if it’s really obviously in plain view, we just try and move it. And it just makes that crime of opportunity a little more difficult," said Officer Cordova.
The video embedded in the player at the top of this story, from a viewer in Westminster, shows a package being stolen six minutes after it was delivered. If you're on a mobile device, click here to watch.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service stresses the importance of reporting stolen packages because it helps them map trends and lets them know where to focus their efforts.
Any mail theft crime should be reported to local police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Inspector Eric Manuel says it's hard for them to get an accurate picture of what's going on if people don't report stolen packages. The 24/7 hotline to USPIS is 877-876-2455. Select option #2 to report mail theft in progress or make a theft report.