TRI-CITIES, WA – It’s Cyber Monday. We all know how convenient it can be to add items to your online shopping cart, but there is a downside when those items arrive porch pirates.
Package theft, especially around the holidays is a growing inconvenience for many of us. In fact, more than 3 in 4 Americans have been a victim of package theft in their lifetime.
One way to keep your package off the porch in the first place consider shipping your packages to your workplace instead of your home, but make sure that is okay with your company first.
If it is not allowed, Sgt. Rigo Pruneda with the Pasco Police Department said you should sign up to get your package tracked.
So you have an idea of when it is out and when you should expect it to arrive at your house.
Another thing you can do is purchase a ring doorbell. That way you can monitor when the package arrives. You can run home and put it inside, especially with the big-ticket items.
Pruneda said porch thefts continue to be a problem in our community. It’s been on the rise for the past two years.
He said the more we shop online, the more opportunity it gives thieves to steal off our porches and try to resell for their profit.
“It has been a problem in the community. It is going to continue to be a problem in our community. We just need to protect ourselves from any type of surveillance and have people in the neighborhood to help out. And if you notice something, report it right away,” he said.
If your package is stolen, make sure it is not delayed. So contact whoever you are buying it from. If it was delivered and it was taken, call the dispatch number. That number is 509-628-0333. Make sure you have the day and time frame that it happened. That way police can pinpoint these thefts and connect them to others.
