BUSINESS + ECONOMY

Hey, Santa! Utah ranks 10th in nation for package theft

Santa’s sleigh might need a little help getting packages to all of the good little boys and girls this holiday season — with well over a billion packages expected to ship out to homes across the US.

Unfortunately, most of those companies that help Santa won’t have the chimney access that he does. And that leaves the opportunity for some to secure themselves a spot on the naughty list.

Many of those topping that list live right here in Utah as well.

Security.org has released a report of the states that have the biggest issues with package theft. Utah ranks number 10 in the nation.

The report ranks the states based on thefts per 100,000. Washington DC tops the list with 3,650 thefts per 100,000. Utah was at 2,092 and Massachusetts came in 50th with only 1078 thefts per 100,000.

“Package thefts have really become an issue and it’s something that we’ve tried to target and address specifically,” Sergeant Keith Horrocks with the Salt Lake City Police Department told KSL TV. “This is a crime of opportunity. They are looking for the easy target. It’s the ease of getting in and getting out.”

Here are some other things you can do to protect those North Pole deliveries:

• Take advantage of “smart delivery” systems that allow you to give access to a delivery person so they can put a package in a more secure location, such as a garage.
• Use locations other than your home for delivery — like a business address or an Amazon locker.
• Ask a neighbor you trust to keep an eye out for packages.
• Install a security camera. It won’t prevent package theft, but it will give you important evidence.
• Sign up for delivery alerts — most services, including the US Postal Service and UPS, offer this.
• Consider installing a package delivery lockbox. These can be expensive, but delivery drivers would have to “scan in” to access the box and deliver a package.

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