GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – As the holidays near, more people are shopping online and there are more thieves looking to steal those packages from your doorstep.
Online shopping topped one billion dollars between November and December last year. If you’re not home when your order arrives, there’s only one place for the mail carrier to leave it.
So businesses are offering ways to help protect against porch pirates.
“Unfortunately, sometimes that, this crime does happen we want people to know if they take a few extra steps,” said Green Bay Police Commander Kevin Warcyh.
He tells FOX 11 it happens every year.
“Statistics are usually not in our favor and if history repeats itself, yes, we will see some instances where items are stolen off their porch but we’re trying to educate and bring awareness.”
He says the crime spikes this time of year because the sun sets earlier, people are busier, and there are more packages on porches.
But safer havens are starting to pop up.
“They order what they want to order and they use this address as their shipping address,” said Sue Rouse with Festival Foods customer service.
The Festival Foods on University Avenue in Green Bay is one of just a few places in the area with Amazon lockers.
“We want to be able to be a post office to get packages for people. It’s wonderful for the holidays and we’re getting busier and busier as the people are starting to come through.”
So if you want to make sure no one is left without a gift Christmas morning, Commander Warych says to plan ahead.
“We want people to know that this is the risk that they take if they choose not to have a signature or get their stuff delivered to an offsite location.
Amazon isn’t the only company offering a solution to porch thieves. The U.S. Postal Service allows you to pick up a package at its office instead of having it delivered.
FedEx and UPS recommend protecting your packages too.
