Northville Township program provides package protection
Porch pirates have found their nemesis in Northville Township.
Again this year, the Northville Township Police Department will offer Operation Max’s Vault, a he free program, named after the department therapy dog, allows residents who online shop to send their purchases to the police department instead of their home address.
The program is available until Jan.1, 2025 and is an effort to reduce the opportunity for theft by “porch pirates” stealing delivered items from homes.
In a 2023 survey by SafeWise, an estimated 119 million packages were stolen in the United States in the past year. In November and December 2023, Northville Township Police reported nine incidents of theft of mail or packages, while the Oakland/Western Wayne/Washtenaw area recorded 81 incidents.
The temporary package storage solution, offered for the second year in the township, permits purchases under 50 pounds to be sent to the police department in care of Max’s Vault. The parcels are stored in a secured area and must be retrieved by the owner within five days of arrival. In 2023, the police department logged 31 uses of Operation Max’s Vault.
Deliveries cannot contain hazardous materials, flammable liquids, illegal contraband, live animals, weapons or ammunition. To ship a package, use the addressee format:
[Recipient Name]
c/o Max’s Vault, 41600 Six Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168.
Any unclaimed packages after Jan. 1, 2025, will be held at the police department for one week and attempts will be made to contact the owner. If the resident doesn’t respond, the packages will be returned to the sender.
