Safeguarding Deliveries
Ten Tips from the Erie Police Department
It's easy for so-called 'porch pirates' to snatch packages from your front door, and while the tech industry is developing ways to fight the very issue, other solutions are simpler. The key is to avoid leaving packages on the porch unattended. Here are a few tips to avoid having your package stolen and keep porch pirates away from Erie, Colorado:
- Send packages to an alternate address where someone; friend, relative, or neighbor, will be home
- Arrange delivery as ship-to-store or curbside pickup
- Install a secure mailbox or package box
- Notify a neighbor of a delivery's expected arrival so the neighbor can retrieve promptly
- Track the package and retrieve it as soon as it arrives.
- Request the sender use the 'signature required' feature so deliveries cannot occur
- Schedule a specific timeframe when you will be home for the delivery
- If you are leaving town, ask for shipments to be held
- Invest in tech and install a camera that can alert you to a delivery
- Instruct the shipper where to leave packages in a location that isn’t visible from the street, perhaps the side of your house, or a hiding place
If a porch pirate manages to snatch your new purchase, be sure to notify the Erie Police Department at 303-441-4444.