Porch Pirates Are Lurking, But How To Thwart Them? Block Talk

About a quarter of a million packages are snatched every day from porches, doorsteps and building lobbies in what experts say is a $37 billion annual problem that costs both consumers and retailers.

Porch piracy is a significant national issue due to the volume of packages left unattended on doorsteps while residents are at work, as well as a relatively low risk of being prosecuted for anything more serious than a misdemeanor — or being arrested at all.

“Package theft is a crime of opportunity,” criminologist Ben Stickle said in a news release on a study on porch piracy by SafeWise, a safety and security research group and review site.

“The longer packages sit on a porch — especially during the busy holiday season — the easier they are for thieves to grab. Porch piracy is a low-entry crime that takes no special skills,” Stickle said.

Also, the items delivered during the holiday season often have higher value than deliveries at other times of the year.

There’s some good news: This year, 31 percent of Americans answering a SafeWise said they’d had a package stolen from their porch, doorstep or building lobby. That’s 5 percent lower than last year, and the first decline in several years.

Also, SafeWise said, overall package thefts dropped 13 percent from 2024, “suggesting that prevention and deterrence efforts may be having some impact.”

Has that been your experience? Is something happening in your neighborhood that makes you feel more or less comfortable having packages delivered while you’re away? What steps are you taking to keep deliveries safe from porch pirates?

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About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

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