7 ways to protect your packages from getting stolen this holiday season
Picture this.
You're searching the internet and you finally find the perfect gift for your loved one. You order it immediately and check the tracking information constantly. The mail carrier says it's been delivered, but when you get home, it's nowhere in sight.
It was stolen, perhaps by "porch pirates," as Tucson police call them. Most recently, police said they're searching for a man who was seen stealing packages from the doorstep of a midtown home.
Here are 7 tips, beyond installing security cameras, to help you protect your packages this holiday season — and other times of the year, too.
Sign up for delivery alerts
UpdatedTucson police released a list of five tips to help protect your packages.
Among them: Sign up for delivery alerts from retailers or mail carriers. You'll be told, through text or email, when your delivery is scheduled and you'll be told when it's delivered.
So, maybe instead of stopping at the store, you'll know to go straight home instead.
Leave instructions for the mail carrier
UpdatedMaybe you're expecting a thin package that can fit under your door mat.
Some retailers will allow you to add delivery instructions during checkout, so you can advise the carrier to leave your package under the mat — or wherever else you think it'll be the safest.
Require a signature for packages
UpdatedCertain retailers will give you the option to require signatures upon delivery.
If the mail carrier is unable to obtain a signature from anyone in the home, they won't drop it off and will try again another time.
Have packages delivered to your job or a trusted family member's home
UpdatedIf you know you're always at work when mail gets delivered, consider sending the package to your job instead of your home.
That way, someone is guaranteed to be present when the package arrives.
Alternatively, if you aren't home, Tucson police advises to have your package delivered at the home of a trusted family member, friend or neighbor, especially if you know they'll be home at the time of the package's arrival.
Use locker features
UpdatedInstead of having Amazon packages sent to your doorstep, have them delivered to an Amazon Locker.
Lockers are set up in all areas of Tucson, many of which are open 24 hours. All you have to do is select your preferred location at checkout.
You'll receive a pickup code to enter in the locker and you can retrieve your package in all its glory. Some mail carriers also have locker features and will allow you to pick your package up there instead.
There are also other features that you can invest in, such as BoxLock — a padlock that you can keep on a storage bin outside your home. It's locked to passersby, but not to mail carriers.
When you're expecting a package, you send the information to BoxLock. When the mail carrier arrives, they can scan the package's barcode and the lock will open. It's that easy.
Put your packages on hold if you're on vacation
UpdatedIf your package is set to arrive while you're on vacation or just away from your home for an extended period of time, you can sometimes reroute it to a different address, such as a trusted friend's home.
Some mail carriers charge fees for doing so. Others will simply hold your package until you're back in town to pick it up.
Look out for your neighbors
Updated"Be a good neighbor and look out for each other!" police say.
If you happen to see anything suspicious, even if it's not on happening on your own doorstep, call police immediately.
More information
- Tucson police need help finding man accused of stealing packages
- Steller column: Trump administration chose border clash over faster asylum claims
- 44 photos show what living in Tucson was like in the early 1980s
- 'Massive germination' signals a potentially good wildflower bloom in Tucson area
- Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick lobbied Gov. Doug Ducey on Senate appointment
- Future Arizona PG Nico Mannion rocks custom-made Wildcats sneakers during game
- Watch explosion at border agent's gender-reveal party that sparked huge Arizona wildfire
View this profile on Instagram#ThisIsTucson 🌵 (@this_is_tucson) • Instagram photos and videos
Most viewed stories
-
A list of places that will be open on Christmas Day 2024
-
This beloved breakfast spot serves up pancakes and Benedicts like you've never seen before
-
New eats! 15 restaurants and bars that opened in Tucson this fall
-
50 fun events happening in Tucson this weekend Dec. 19-22 🎄🚂
-
Where to see holiday lights in Tucson this December 2024 ✨✨
-
This Marana restaurant made Yelp's list of the best Chinese restaurants in the country
-
Winterhaven returns for its 75th year with twinkling lights and elaborate holiday displays
-
100 fun events happening in Tucson this December 2024 🎅🫔
-
A very long list of Tucson murals and where to find them
-
50 fun events happening in Tucson this weekend Dec. 12-15 🎄❄️