State College police give tips to keep ‘porch pirates’ at bay this holiday season

It’s the busiest time of year for shipping packages, which also means a big opportunity for package thieves.

Package thefts have become “a relatively big issue” in the past few weeks, State College police say, especially at apartment buildings.

The formula is simple, really: More people are ordering more expensive gifts for the holidays and packages are delivered to open mail lobby areas.

“They become bait,”said Dean Woodring, State College police community relations officer. On top of that, packages are still delivered to student housing after the occupants leave town for winter break.

How to prevent package theft

Police offer these tips to minimize package thefts:

• Have the package held at the carrier’s facility for pickup.
• Have the package delivered to parcel boxes at a business, such as those at Weis on Westerly Parkway.
• Have it delivered to family or friends.
• Have it delivered to your workplace.

Woodring also advised recipients to track the progress of their package and save any images that show the delivery. Those images may help police if they have to investigate a stolen package.

Asked for a perspective from state police, public information officer Trooper Christopher Fox said package thefts are not a big problem generally, but they are more common this time of year.

Fox suggested surveillance such as a doorbell camera. Good communication with neighbors can also help, as they could notice unusual behavioral patterns or people in the area.