8 Tons Of Paper Shredded By Sheriff's To Thwart Identity Theft

Free weekend program dubbed a “huge success.”

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On Saturday, the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s station converted their parking lot to a drive-thru where residents were encouraged to drop off paper with sensitive personal information. The paper was then shredded, ending the threat that the personal information on the documents would ever fall into the hands of identity thieves.

The turnout was massive for the program, as an estimated 700 cars drove through the area. 8 tons of paper was destroyed; the equivalent weight of roughly two elephants.

Identity thieves often get their victims’ information by going through garbage or stealing mail. By shredding all documents and bringing all outgoing mail directly to the post office, people can help avoid becoming victims.

"Working together through programs like this one, we hope to raise awareness of how we can better protect ourselves against identity theft and rid our homes and offices of unwanted clutter at the same time," said Captain Anthony La Berge of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station. 

Since the program turned out to be such a big success, the Sheriff’s station is working with the City of Santa Clarita to plan another community shred day in the future.