While this time of year is known as the season of giving, for thieves, it’s the season of taking. The Eugene Police Department hopes residents won’t provide easy targets by leaving holiday packages sitting on doorsteps.
With the convenience of online shopping, delivery services are busy dropping off packages right to customers’ homes, many times leaving boxes while no one is there to receive them. Eugene Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist Debbie Janecek says thieves follow our behavior and they’re on the lookout for empty homes during delivery times.
She says the best thing you can do is to track your package. “Know when it’s going to be delivered and if you can’t be there, maybe you can find somebody who can, a trusted neighbor or friend or family member who can come pick it up for you or try to be home yourself when it’s delivered,” says Janecek.
Janecek adds you can also have your packages sent to secure pick-up lockers or use the ship-to-store option to keep them off your doorsteps all together. And if you’re shipping items yourself, she suggests you pay extra for insurance, and tracking, and require a signature so those boxes get to the right person and don’t fall into the wrong hands.