Perturbed by porch pirates? Catch them by using tech.

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PUBLIC DEFENDER By Brian Livingston With our craze for same-day deliveries, package theft has soared; it cost online shoppers $13 billion in 2023 in t
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Bill C., jburk07, fisher75, Lars220, ibe98765, TechTango, DLivesInTexas, Norio, rc primak

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Secure lockboxes? How do you make one visible to the delivery person, but not obnoxious to the average person who comes to your door? How do you handle deliveries by USPS to your mailbox; use a secure mailbox (is there such a thing?) or require (how?) that all their parcels be put in the lockbox?

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Our approach to porch pirates is simple – we do not have anything delivered to the door.

When possible, we buy in person from local vendors.

All mail and small packages are delivered to our local post office that is 0.2 miles from our front door.

Remainder of our packages are delivered to a UPS Store that is a couple of miles away and next to the grocery store.

Mail is picked up when we take the dog for her daily walk and packages when convenient.

Above all, we try to minimize the burden on our local police department that consists of 19 patrol officers staffing 3 shifts/day led by a watch commander.  Each patrol unit works an 8 ½ hour day and there are active patrols seven days a week.  That means that there are fewer than 5 officers on patrol at a time.

Our police respond to traffic collisions, lost children, alarms, first aid calls, fights, loose dogs, robberies, etc. And all officers are certified as “State Emergency Medical Technicians” (EMT).

So from our point of view, we have an obligation to minimize the burden on our police for thefts by porch pirates.

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SueW, Steve, satrow, WSbobby-p

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If it’s the USPS also contact the Postal Police (officially the Postal Inspection Service). This is a major part of their responsibilities, while the local police have so much more to deal with. And since they are part of the USPS, if it looks like an inside job they can set up surveillance inside the post office.

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SueW, rbailin, WSbobby-p

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It’s great the local sheriff was more than willing to take on the case.  (For some reason, I imaged my kid’s cartoon show, Paw Patrol, and “Chase is on the case!” when I typed that.)

However, the best law enforcement to contact for cases specifically involving the U.S. Postal Service would be the Postal Inspection Service.  They are a federal law enforcement agency who’s primary job responsibility is crimes involving U.S. Mail (theft, illicit drugs, pyramid schemes, sex crimes).

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Bill C.

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Casey S wrote:

It’s great the local sheriff was more than willing to take on the case.  (For some reason, I imaged my kid’s cartoon show, Paw Patrol, and “Chase is on the case!” when I typed that.)

However, the best law enforcement to contact for cases specifically involving the U.S. Postal Service would be the Postal Inspection Service.  They are a federal law enforcement agency who’s primary job responsibility is crimes involving U.S. Mail (theft, illicit drugs, pyramid schemes, sex crimes).

They also have a very well equipped laboratory for analyses of counterfeit and forged USPS Money Orders, and a cadre of Special Agents and criminal investigators.  They investigate internal theft and external threats and thefts.

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I too have limited my online buys.  However, far, far, far too many brick and mortar businesses when asked if an item is available immediately point you to their online ordering.  I will do that IF the ship to the store is free (just like their in stock merchandise.)  If it is not, I go elsewhere.

From local reporting and LE reporting, there is a growing number of incidents of the suspected collusion of delivery service drivers and the thieves.  I have seen numerous Ring Camera footage of UPS or Amazon dropping off a package and before the driver even drives off a car stops and a person wearing an Amazon vest picks up the package and calmly walks away.  And, yes, reasonable facsimiles of Amazon uniform components are available online, especially near Halloween for costumes…, hmmm!
https://www.amazon.com/Qraphic-Tee-Package-Delivery-Courier/dp/B08DHSSF53

Some of the camera footage even shows Amazon logos on the vests.

Another thing is thieves are targeting items containing Lithium batteries that cannot go by air.  Our area has many reports of iPads and iPhones (and higher end Android devices) that are both never received, as well as being picked up by thieves while the delivery service truck is still in view.  Many are delivered with the “Adult Signature Required” stickers affixed, yet the recipient was never notified.

I have personally confronted delivery drivers about needing a signature, and some have me sign, but others say they already marked that it was signed it.  As some items are required by law to be signed by the recipient, not getting the signature could be referred for further action to the agency with jurisdiction.

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ibe98765

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If you are an Amazon Prime member, then you can direct many packages to their no cost lock boxes, which are often placed in supermarkets and outside 7-11 stores..

While you cite an example of a corrupt postal employee stealing packages, I have had a POB for 20+ years and have all my mail, including packages, delivered there  I have not had one problem in all that time.

The cost of a POB has escalated significantly over the past 20 years (it was $38/year when I first picked it up and it is now $222/year.  I have a medium sized box but if I were doing it again, I would have purchased a small box, which is currently $127/year).  Anything that doesn’t fit, you pick-up from the counter.

Another advantage of my POB is that I receive ZERO spam mail!

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As with any organization, there is always the possibility of internal malfeasance.  When I worked for the USPS it was drummed from day one that the Postal Inspectors could be observing.

Later on, after the USPS, I worked with the USPS Inspectors on a number of complex issues.

I too had a PO Box and it really skyrocketed when Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was appointed by the Board of Governors.

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