Keeping your packages safe during the holiday season

YUMA - (KYMA, KSWT, KECY)- Package thefts from front porches rise during this time of the year, and police officials want members of the community to be vigilant when it comes to protecting your goods.

Just last year Cyber Monday sales broke an all-time record at $7.9 billion dollars being spent online.

Monday's sales were expected to do just as good. However, with all the purchasing of goods online, this means several packages will be out for delivery.

This makes more people vulnerable to being victims of porch pirates.

A porch pirate is a person who follows behind UPS, Fed Ex, or USPS trucks and watches them as they drop off packages. If they see no one is home, they'll run up and snatch the package right from the porch.

Police officials said that they see a rise in these cases during the holiday months, especially during Cyber Monday sales.

One thing that has proved to help some community members is video surveillance doorbells. These doorbells have grown in popularity, even creating an app where videos of crimes can be posted online.

The Yuma Police Department is one of many stations who have access to this app and can view videos to help solve crimes.

Police officials recommend if you know you're not going to be home when a package is being delivered, find alternative ways to keep your package safe.

You can deliver it to your place of work if it's allowed, or deliver it to a family or friend's house that you know will be home.

Police officers work hard to get stolen goods back to their original owners, however, prevention is a step people need to take.

If you ever fall victim to a porch pirate, make sure to report the crime. Even if you feel as if it's not a big deal, or your package wasn't worth much, by reporting these crimes officers can begin to catch trends if there are any.

This makes it easier for the culprits to be caught.