Picture this.
You're searching the internet and you finally find the perfect gift for your loved one. You order it immediately and check the tracking information constantly. The mail carrier says it's been delivered, but when you get home, it's nowhere in sight.
It was stolen, perhaps by "porch pirates," as Tucson police call them. Most recently, police said they're searching for a man who was seen stealing packages from the doorstep of a midtown home.
Here are 7 tips, beyond installing security cameras, to help you protect your packages this holiday season — and other times of the year, too.
Tucson police released a list of five tips to help protect your packages.
Among them: Sign up for delivery alerts from retailers or mail carriers. You'll be told, through text or email, when your delivery is scheduled and you'll be told when it's delivered.
So, maybe instead of stopping at the store, you'll know to go straight home instead.
Maybe you're expecting a thin package that can fit under your door mat.
Some retailers will allow you to add delivery instructions during checkout, so you can advise the carrier to leave your package under the mat — or wherever else you think it'll be the safest.
Certain retailers will give you the option to require signatures upon delivery.
If the mail carrier is unable to obtain a signature from anyone in the home, they won't drop it off and will try again another time.
If you know you're always at work when mail gets delivered, consider sending the package to your job instead of your home.
That way, someone is guaranteed to be present when the package arrives.
Alternatively, if you aren't home, Tucson police advises to have your package delivered at the home of a trusted family member, friend or neighbor, especially if you know they'll be home at the time of the package's arrival.
Instead of having Amazon packages sent to your doorstep, have them delivered to an Amazon Locker.
Lockers are set up in all areas of Tucson, many of which are open 24 hours. All you have to do is select your preferred location at checkout.
You'll receive a pickup code to enter in the locker and you can retrieve your package in all its glory. Some mail carriers also have locker features and will allow you to pick your package up there instead.
There are also other features that you can invest in, such as BoxLock — a padlock that you can keep on a storage bin outside your home. It's locked to passersby, but not to mail carriers.
When you're expecting a package, you send the information to BoxLock. When the mail carrier arrives, they can scan the package's barcode and the lock will open. It's that easy.
If your package is set to arrive while you're on vacation or just away from your home for an extended period of time, you can sometimes reroute it to a different address, such as a trusted friend's home.
Some mail carriers charge fees for doing so. Others will simply hold your package until you're back in town to pick it up.
"Be a good neighbor and look out for each other!" police say.
If you happen to see anything suspicious, even if it's not on happening on your own doorstep, call police immediately.
#ThisIsTucson Editor
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