Package protection a priority for the holiday shopping season

Online sales have driven up the frequency of package deliveries, but they have also raised some concerns about thefts from front porches.

Many residents are trying to make sure the packages are picked up promptly and not left out in plain sight all day.

Some delivery companies are going the extra mile to put packages in a secure location, behind planters, and in corners so they are not obviously seen from the street by a possible thief. Not all locations have any protection and that is a concern.

Santa Barbara Police Sgt. Riley Harwood says you can have your packages held if you are not around the day they are due for delivery. “Perhaps arrange ahead of time to have their packages held at the carrier’s location for example the UPS office or the Post Office, of Fed Ex.”

He also says track your deliveries on line. “You can follow the progress of your package and when you know it arrives get there in short order to retrieve it from an unsecured location in front of your house” Resident Nicole Nelson says “we have a gate at the end of the driveway and they either drop it in the front or throw it over if they think it will be in trouble.” In front of the Santa Barbara Post Office Kia Nona Williams said she has been shopping on line more in recent years because it has been more convenient. ” I do I order a lot. I am a little bit older so I don’t care about going out shopping to much these days.”