'Porch Pirate' Wanted: Pierce County Sheriff

PUYALLUP, WA — Video of a thief captured on home surveillance swiping a package from a porch in Puyallup's South Hill area earlier this month was posted to the Pierce County Sheriff's Twitter page on Monday in the hope someone who recognizes the female suspect can help investigators identify her.

The theft reportedly occurred Nov. 8 around 1 p.m. at a home along 145th Street Court East. In the video, the woman stops a white four-door sedan in front of the home, exits and walks casually up to the front door before she returns with the stolen box.

Sheriff's officials believe the suspect's car is a Mercedes. At least one passenger can be seen in the front seat of the vehicle at the time of the alleged theft.

With Thanksgiving behind us, the season of the "porch pirate" has officially begun, according to Pierce County Sheriff spokeswoman Lauren Wallin.

"Every year it seems we see a significant increase in package thefts; but we're also seeing more residents investing in home security," Wallin told Patch on Monday. "So while we see an increase in thefts we're also seeing more residents taking proactive action to help law enforcement solve these crimes."

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For residents who may not be able to afford or install home security, however, Wallin has a few tips:

• Let a trusted neighbor know you have packages expected to arrive when you're not home;
• Invest in a post office box specifically for holiday deliveries; or
• Ask the sender to request a signature for the package.

Some companies, such as Amazon, have even created programs that allow delivery drivers to actually drop packages inside recipients' homes when those customers provide a key to the front door.

More tips for preventing package thefts this season can be found at PreventPackageTheft.com.

Image via Renee Schiavone/Patch