The holiday gifts that arrive in the mail are tempting to thieves.
A Salem couple installed a camera on their porch after having six packages stolen. It worked—police caught two people taking off with the decoy box.
You don’t have to resort to a sting operation to prevent theft.
But, packages left on the front steps, even for a short period of time, are crimes of opportunity for thieves.
Debbie Janecek is with the Eugene Police Department. She urges people to track their items online and be at home to receive them, but she understands this isn’t always possible.
Janecek: “Maybe it’s running late, or maybe you had something come up and you couldn’t be there and you have to have it left there. Whenever possible if you can share that information with a trusted friend so that they can be on the lookout, or a trusted neighbor, that’s really going to be helpful.”
Janecek also advises having a signature required for delivery or having items dropped off to a friend or family member who is home.
Another option is to have packages delivered to a place of employment.
