HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – To protect residents from package theft during the upcoming holiday season, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has created a program to allow residents to safely ship holiday packages to HCSO offices.
The program is called “Operation Pinch-A-Grinch.”
Starting Nov. 9 through Dec. 21, Hillsborough County residents can have their online orders shipped to HCSO’s District 3 Office, located at 7202 Gunn Highway in Tampa, or District 5 Office, located at 10128 Windhorst Road in Tampa, where a deputy will accept and guard items until residents can pick them up.
Residents can pick up their packages Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Residents must have a government-issued photo ID and an order tracking number in order to receive their packages.
Packages must be less than 50 lbs.
In 2019, there were 274 reports of package theft in Hillsborough County, which amounted to more than $76,000 in losses.
“Operation Pinch-A-Grinch is simple. When checking out online, just enter your name and our district address for delivery,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “We understand that many within our community have very busy schedules, from working to taking their children to school to caring for their families… That is why we are offering a wide range of convenient pick-up hours.”
For more information on Operation Pinch-A-Grinch, visit www.teamhcso.com/PinchAGrinch.
