With the holiday season upon us, thousands of packages will be delivered across many doorsteps throughout Rochester. The Rochester Police Department wants to remind residents to be aware of possible porch pirates lurking to steal them.

According to a recent study, half of Americans are concerned about “porch pirates” taking their online deliveries. This year, nearly 40% say they’re more worried about package thieves than in previous years. Over a third of those surveyed, many acknowledged experiencing package theft, with a majority saying the incidents occurred during the holiday season.

How can you prevent a package from being taken from a porch or doorstep?

The Rochester Police Department advises residents to do as much shopping in person as possible to help reduce the amount of packages being delivered to their residences. If that’s not an option, try the following tips when you’re expecting online deliveries:

1. Be familiar with the normal routine of your neighborhood, and try to schedule packages to be delivered when you know you’ll be at home.
2. If you can’t be home when the package arrives, you should ask a trusted neighbor or friend to take the package from the front porch to a safe location.
3. Request that packages be held at a delivery service facility or delivered to a partnering business.
4. Install exterior video/doorbell cameras to help catch someone trying to steal a package.
5. Require a signature upon delivery of the package.
6. Schedule delivery for a time you know you will be home.
7. Have packages delivered to your work or to the residence of a trusted person who you know will be home.
8. Request a delivery confirmation from the sender and/or delivery service as soon as the package arrives.