27 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The holiday season is in full swing, so packages will start popping up on porches.
Andrew Ford with the Wichita Police Department says they see an increase in porch pirates this time of year.
“Consumers are taking advantage of holiday sales online,” he said. “This leads to packages being delivered to homes where thieves will take those packages from porches or any area surrounding a home.”
Ford offers this advice to protect your items:
Track your packages.
See if you can schedule the delivery when you or another adult will be home.
See if your job will allow you to have packages delivered to your workplace.
Use Amazon lockers to pick up your packages.
In Garden City, Erinn Reyes with the police department says they haven’t had many cases reported yet this year, but she won’t be surprised if that changes.
“With the holidays coming up, we probably are expecting it at some point,” she said. “We haven’t seen many reports here, if any yet, but that might change. Even if we don’t, just making sure our citizens know those tips to protect themselves.”
Reyes encourages people to install a camera to monitor what’s happening.
Ford says if a package gets stolen from your property, report it to law enforcement immediately.
“If a person has video of the theft occurring, make sure to provide a copy to authorities,” he said. “It helps provide descriptions or information as to who the suspects are. It can also help victims with potential recovery of their items.”
Ford says taking items or packages that don’t belong to you is theft.
“You can face misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the amount and if you have been previously convicted of theft,” he said.
On Cyber Monday, Reyes says to know where you shop and monitor your accounts and transactions. If you buy something from another person, meet at a safe exchange zone like a law enforcement office.
Reyes says don’t make yourself an obvious victim while out shopping. Lock your car and hide shopping bags and valuables.