Law enforcement warns of package thefts as holiday season ramps up

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With Black Friday quickly approaching and the holiday season ramping up, authorities are warning residents about a potential increase in package thefts.

According to Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Kyle Green, this time of year is prime time for porch pirates.

"Obviously, there's a lot of things that are going to be delivered between now and the end of the year to people's residences," Green said. "Which unfortunately means the individuals that are looking to steal that type of stuff, this is their time of year, their best opportunity to do so."

This time of year, unattended piles of packages left on doorsteps become easy targets for thieves. Package thefts totaled 119 million in 2023, according to Capital One Shopping Research. Americans lost $13.4 billion to package theft, Capital One says.

Khesha Duncan, Columbia Regional Director of the Better Business Bureau, said tracking your orders and quickly bringing them inside your home will greatly reduce the chance of them being stolen.

"What we encourage people to do is just do as much work on the front end as possible to protect yourself." Duncan said. "For example, opt in to those tracking emails and text messages when you order something and they [delivery companies] immediately send you that follow up email saying, 'Would you like to opt in text for text messages for the delivery schedule?' Make sure you opt in to that."

Porch pirates especially take notice to packages left out for multiple days or houses that receive multiple packages.

"Unfortunately, there are people who just drive around neighborhoods or even follow the delivery trucks to see which places they're stopping and what items are being dropped off," Green said.

The Columbia Police Department posted some pointers earlier this month to the city's website to help residents stay alert, including:

• If you’re not home, have packages shipped to an address where someone is available to accept them.
• Have cameras placed where you regularly receive packages.
• Use a porch lock box or parcel safe box.
  • The post also says the box shouldn’t attract attention, but still be able to hold a 26x18x15 inches
• Shopping at brick-and-mortar stores.

To report a missing package, contact your local police department and provide any footage from neighborhood cameras.