Stop Holiday Porch Pirates: 5 Tips From Fairfax County Police

Around 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. It's no surprise packages thefts happen more often during the holiday season.

With many people taking advantage of online ordering to get their holiday shopping done, products can be left on porches and front steps, where they become prime targets for "porch pirates."

To help protect residents from package thefts, Fairfax County Police have released the following tips:

1. Sign up for delivery alerts so you know when your delivery is scheduled—and when the package has been delivered.
2. If you're not able to be home when a package will be delivered, ask a trusted neighbor to hold it for you.
3. If possible, require a signature for all deliveries.
4. Consider shipping packages to your place of work or use the ship to store option.
5. Be a good neighbor! If you see a package on your neighbor's doorstep, reach out and ask if they would like you to hold it until they are home. Better yet, if you work from home, post on Nextdoor and offer to allow your neighbors to send their packages to your house.

If you see something suspicious or had a package stolen, call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Image via Renee Schiavone/Patch