Round Rock Police Offer To Safeguard Your Holiday Packages

ROUND ROCK — The Round Rock Police Department is poised to launch "Operation Front Porch" to prevent theft of holiday packages during the gift-giving season by enabling residents to have their deliveries sent to police headquarters for safe keeping instead.

Officers are happy to safeguard your packages that would otherwise be sitting unattended on the porch after being delivered — perhaps for hours on end — while yielding a temptation for grinches aka porch pirates aka robbers that tend to emerge this time of year. If you think about it, there is probably no safer place for packages to be delivered than the police station, teeming with what amounts to holiday elves of a sort, but with guns.

All officers ask for this service is a donation to Operation Blue Santa toy drive upon pickup. "Save Christmas for you and yours, while helping those in need," as your city's finest like to put it. Those interested in this option should have packages with residents' names and addresses to police headquarters at 2701 North Mays Street, Round Rock, 78665.

Packages will be received and stored by the police department from Friday, Dec. 1 to Friday, Dec. 22. During this time, Round Rock residents can pick up the packages Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pickup hours on the final pickup day, Dec. 22, are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To pick up, simply bring along a government-issued identification card with Round Rock address,
order/shipment proof or receipt, and a toy or cash donation for Operation Blue Santa. Packages
must be under 50 pounds, and picked up within two days of delivery. Residents with questions can call (512) 218-5500.

Meanwhile, Round Rock Operation Blue Santa is in full swing. Those applying were directed to drop by the police department at the cop shop between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Nov. 30 and again from Dec. 4-8. To be eligible for the program, applicants must provide a photo ID, provide proof of residency in Round Rocksuch as a utility bill along with a current report card for all school-aged children benefiting from the program.

About Round Rock Operation Blue Santa (via police website):

"Round Rock Operation Blue Santa is a non-profit organization that was established in 1978 by volunteers and employees of the Round Rock Police, Fire, and Parks and Recreation Departments. Since 1978 Operation Blue Santa has delivered toys and food to families in need. In the first year, fewer than twenty families were served. Every year the number of families served has grown. Currently over 1,600 individuals are served. Operation Blue Santa is supported entirely by the community (schools, individuals, and businesses) in the form of donations."

>>> Image via Unsplash by Nathan Lemon@processrepeat