5 ways to stop thieves from stealing packages from your porch

Want to avoid a Grinch sneaking up and stealing those holiday packages delivered to your doorstep?

With Christmas and other wintertime gift-giving holidays afoot, the Wichita Police Department is urging shoppers to take extra precautions with their online purchases.

“One increasingly popular way to Christmas shop is through online transactions and online shopping,” said Officer Charley Davidson, a spokesman for the department. “It can be very convenient and can be done without leaving the comfort of your living room.

“However,” he warned, “the delivery of packages can leave you susceptible to being a victim of having those packages stolen.”

Police saw some of these types of cases scattered across the city last year, Davidson said, but he didn’t know the total number of thefts.

An estimated 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their homes before they could open them, according to a 2015 report from www.insurancequotes.com.

Here are five tips Davidson offered for making sure your packages end up in your hands instead of a thief’s.

▪ Customize delivery times for arrival when you know you’re going to be home.

▪ Have packages delivered to a trusted family member or friend’s address instead of your own.

▪ Consider your workplace for package delivery.

▪ Ask the delivery company to hold your packages for pick up at its facility.

▪ Tell a neighbor you trust about an expected delivery and ask them to watch for it.

Some delivery services will also have the ability to alert you via e-mail or text message when a package is delivered. You also can request that the carrier get your signature.

“We want everyone to have a safe and happy Christmas season, shopping and time with family and friends,” Davidson said, adding that anyone who does become the victim of a package thief should call 911 or their local law enforcement agency to make a report.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 9:16 AM with the headline "5 ways to stop thieves from stealing packages from your porch."