BELLEVUE, Wash. — Local police departments are seeing an increase in package theft as more people shop online during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Bellevue police saw a 72% increase in mail theft in November compared to last year.
An inspector with the United States Postal Inspection Service is now embedded in the Bellevue Police Department to help police track down package thieves.
In the last 12 months, more than 35.5 million people in the U.S. have been victims of package theft according to Finder.
Nearly half of Americans said all or most of their holiday shopping will be online this year.
Local police departments are overwhelmed with home security video of packages being stolen from victims every year.
However, even if it doesn't end in a thief being caught, police still want victims to file a report.
"If nothing else it tells us where things are happening and when," said Renton police detective Robert Onishi. "It tells us where we should pay more attention to what's going on, maybe put more officers in the area."
For tips on how to prevent packages from being stolen, visit the Insurance Quotes website.