By Sunayana Prabhu
As thieves get increasingly brazen with auto thefts, there is another warning coming from local police departments in the Two River area: Be watchful of “porch pirates.”
Porch pirates are thieves who steal packages from the steps and porches in front of residences. There has been a steady uptick in this type of crime and Sgt. Steven Schneider of the Fair Haven Police Department said there’s a reason for this trend: “It’s easy access for people.”
Although porch piracy numbers have not reached auto theft levels yet, Schneider said a rise “is probably inevitable.”
A crime that was previously considered a minor offense, porch piracy was codified into law this year with stiffer penalties. “Package theft is a growing problem for online consumers,” said Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-18) in a release from the primary sponsors of the Defense Against Porch Pirates Act, signed into law in January by Gov. Phil Murphy. The bipartisan legislation increased the penalty for porch piracy, making it a third-degree crime and allowing for a sentence of three to five years in prison, a fine up to $15,000 or both.
Schneider urges residents to stay alert as Black Friday approaches. As the popularity of online shopping has increased, especially since the pandemic, stealing those deliveries from homes before residents retrieve them has become easier.
“I remember last year being particularly bad with porch pirates,” Schneider said.
Middletown “has seen incidents in the past, but we are not seeing reports at this time,” said Middletown Deputy Chief Paul Bailey. The Middletown Township Police Department does urge residents to practice caution, reminding the community that, “with the holiday season upon us, many people are ordering packages and gifts. Unfortunately, some people look at this time of year as an opportunity to steal these items from the front steps, porches and walkways after they have been delivered but before they can be collected by the homeowner.
“These types of crimes are especially upsetting at this time of year and can lessen the joy normally associated with the holidays,” Bailey said.
The department is asking the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately. “Oftentimes, one can track the delivery progress of their packages, which helps people in making sure things don’t get stolen,” Bailey said. “Additionally, we encourage our residents to contact friends, relatives and trusted neighbors to secure any deliveries for safe keeping until they can be picked up in person.”
Porch piracy doesn’t just put a damper on the holiday season. “It affects residents who order medication, and have legal documents and other important items delivered to their home,” Karabinchak said in a statement.
“Taking delivery packages from a person’s property is just as invasive as breaking into a home to steal them.”
According to the 2022 package theft survey published online by Safewise, an organization that conducts research and tests home security systems, around 260 million packages disappeared from porches across America over the last 12 months, 50 million more packages than the previous year.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Rumson, Brooklyn or the Bronx,” Schneider said, it’s a crime of opportunity and, if residents are not alert, the thieves “are going to find a way to take it.”
Schneider suggested multiple tips to ensure the safety of holiday packages. Being available when you know items are being delivered or requesting a neighbor receive the package in your absence is foremost. “Some residents have actually put lockable containers” on their porches, Schneider said.
Residents can instruct package carriers like Amazon or USPS to put the package in the box that has a padlock or electronic lock. Some carriers can also be instructed to leave packages at the back of the house.
Installing security cameras might be a smart investment that can deter thefts. “You should be able to view your packages as somebody comes into the frame from motion-sensing. A lot of such systems allow you to talk to someone coming up that you don’t recognize, talk to them on the camera say, ‘I’m going to call the police.’
“If you see somebody,” Schneider said, “give us a call. Or if somebody’s coming to take a package, if somebody looks suspicious, give us a call.”
The article originally appeared in the November 24 – 30, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
