The season for online shopping has been in full swing for at least a week now as we prepare for the holidays.
In an effort to decrease theft, police in Colerain Township, Norwood and Amberley Village are allowing residents to ship packages to the police department instead of leaving them outside, where they could be stolen.
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For Amberley Village: Send deliveries to 7149 Ridge Road, Amberley Village, Ohio 45237 through Dec. 24. You will need to show ID that matches the name on the package. Pick the deliveries up 24 hours a day.
For Colerain Township: Residents can have deliveries sent to 4200 Springdale Road, Attention: Police Department, Cincinnati, Ohio 45251 until Dec. 24. The person named on the package must show a valid ID when picking up. Packages can be picked up 24 hours Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For Norwood: Send packages to 4701 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45212 through Dec. 24. You will need to show ID that matches the name on the package. Pick the deliveries up 24 hours a day.
Jim Love, Colerain Township police spokesperson, told WCPO it's common this time of year for thieves to drive around to look for packages. Love said police spend a considerable amount of time taking reports for stolen items, so the delivery initiative benefits both residents and police.
“The benefit is quite a bit for the people out there as the holidays get closer,” Love said. “People walking, driving around. They see packages all over. The calls go up. We have to spend quite a few man hours responding to those calls -- theft calls -- taking reports, doing all that. Really it’s a win-win for us.”