It’s that time of the year again and police say stealing packages becomes a crime of opportunity. Altoona police reaclled, two residents that were arrested in State College last year for that very thing. 

According to police, potential package thieves see this season as a low risk potentially high reward opportunity. Lt. Jeff Pratt explained, “Certainly in today’s environment and the holiday season, it is not advisable to have those packages sitting out on your front porch if you’re not going to be around. It’s almost an invitation to commit crimes. ” 

Alicia Lombardo says there are days where she gets 4 to 7 packages delivered. She signs up to get text notifications to let her know when packages arrive.

Lombardo said, “I’m at work or my husband’s at work so we just want to make sure that when we get home that the packages we had delivered are and that they weren’t stolen or that our neighbors have picked them up just for safety reasons.”

According to the United States Postal Service, there are several options to ensure a safe delivery. A new option this year is an app on your phone that will send you pictures of what mail is being delivered. You can also re-direct your deliveries in the palm of your hand.

Spokesperson Tad Kelley explained, “Change the package’s address in transit using the apps i’m talking about. Customize the delivery. Maybe it doesn’t fit in the mail box or you won’t be home to receive it. Again, go to usps dot com  tell us what you want to do with that and delivery instructions you customize. Plan ahead, maybe you are out of town for 1,2,3,4 days. Put it on hold. “

Both the USPS and police also advised planning ahead with your neighbors. Sometimes a vigilant neighbor can help prevent or catch a thief.