Protect your holiday packages: Police tips to prevent theft

Published on November 25, 2024

The holiday season is here, bringing a surge in online shopping for gifts. With more deliveries arriving on front porches and being left outside homes, thieves are quick to exploit the opportunity, snatching packages right off doorsteps.

The Menlo Park Police Department offers the following tips that may help prevent you from being a victim:

• Ask for a tracking number. Most companies offer this service at no charge so you can track your packages and get notified when it will be delivered.
• Request a “signature delivery option,” which requires a signature when the packages are delivered.
• Request a specific drop off time and date when you will be home to accept your packages.
• Arrange to have your packages held at the shipping service so you can pick them up.
• Have your packages delivered to the home of a relative or neighbor who will be there to accept them.
• Ask to have your packages delivered to a retail store so you can pick them up at your convenience.
• Ask a trustworthy neighbor to keep a “watchful eye” out for you packages. If they’re willing, ask them to safeguard your packages until you return home.

Learn about more holiday safety tips.