How to keep your delivered packages safe

The Missouri University Police Department tweeted out a reminder to students to not advertise holiday plans on social media.

Thanksgiving break is approaching, which also means so is Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While people are waiting for their items to arrive, thieves may be waiting to grab them from the front porch. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department said there are several precautions to take so packages won’t be stolen.

Most delivery services have the option for packages to be delivered somewhere other than a residence. Detective Tom O’Sullivan said getting more expensive packages delivered to a non-residential address is the best way to make sure it doesn’t get stolen. He also said people can usually request a specific spot for the delivery person to drop off the package, like the back porch or under a bench, so it’s not noticeable.

Last year in Columbia, there were several packages stolen from outside peoples’ homes. In one of those instances, Noelle Richter, a resident of Columbia, said she was home and saw the person come to her front door and steal the package.

Richter said she heard about the recent packages stolen around the area but didn’t think it would happen in her neighborhood. She said she wrote on her neighborhood’s watchdog website what happened and told people to be careful. She never got the package back from the person who stole it.

She said with the holidays coming around the corner, she will have more expensive items delivered to a safer location.