Round Rock Marks 4 Years Of 'Operation Front Porch'

ROUND ROCK, TX — Monday marks the fourth year anniversary of Operation Front Porch, the city's holiday package theft prevention program that keeps getting bigger every year.

Here's a statistic: Last year, the police department received 475 holiday packages from residents entrusting officers to safeguard while away for the holidays.

Here’s how the program works: Round Rock residents ship their online orders to their name but for delivery to the Round Rock Police Department. Police in turn accept package deliveries for storage of up to three days until residents pick up their items during normal business hours. Extended weekday hours and Saturday pickups are available in December, police noted, with the last day to pick up packages scheduled for Dec. 22.

The convenience of the unique program is heightened given the ever-growing popularity of online shopping, officials noted in an advisory. "This holiday season, Round Rock residents can ship their packages to the PD and have one less thing to worry about," officials wrote.

Image via Round Rock Police Department.

The benefit is symbiotic: Each package the police department receives is one less opportunity for package theft, police said, which allows Round Rock Police Department officers to focus on other calls for service. The program has been lauded, including an accolade as the 2019 Leadership in Crime Prevention awarded by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Given an ongoing threat of the coronavirus, face coverings are required for package pick-ups service, for which there is no charge to residents. Optional donations of toys and cash for Round Rock Operation Blue Santa will be accepted, officials said.

For more details, click here. Watch a testimonial from a resident who is a frequent user of the service by clicking here.