‘Porch Pirates’ Steal Holiday Packages as They Pile Up at Homes

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SEATTLE — It is a season for giving and, according to law enforcement officials in Washington County, Ore., taking as well. Two weeks ago, its Sheriff’s Office ran a sting operation to catch porch pirates, thieves who swipe packages from Amazon and other companies from doorsteps. Detectives from the department’s property crimes unit put several electronics items worth more than $500 in a box, dropped in a tracking device and “baited” a volunteer’s front porch in the town of Aloha. Sure enough, a pirate struck just after 2 a.m., and deputies traced him to a home two blocks away. In an apparent effort to cover up his deed, the 27-year-old suspect microwaved the tracking device, so he was charged with evidence tampering in addition to theft. Porch pirates have darkened people’s doorsteps for years. Law enforcement agencies say they think the crime is on the rise, along with the growth of online shopping. “There’s more packages for them to grab,” said Angela Sands, a spokeswoman for the Police Department in Lincoln, Neb.

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Mike Armstrong, a general contractor in Memphis, has earned a reputation on his neighborhood’s Nextdoor forums as something of a vigilante. By his own estimate, Mr. Armstrong has confronted suspected package thieves more than a dozen times over the last four years, once on his own porch with the aid of his surveillance system. He said his neighbors call him the “strong arm of the law,” a play on his last name. “It’s almost like this sick perversion I have, catching thieves,” Mr. Armstrong said. Technology is also amplifying awareness of the problem, while serving as a deterrent. Internet surveillance cameras from Google’s Nest and Ring have made it easier for residents to capture video of package thieves in the act. Ring makes internet-connected doorbell cameras that start at $179. Homeowners can speak through the device to visitors — or bad guys — at their front doors using a smartphone app, even if they are not home. YouTube, Facebook, Nextdoor and other social media are popular places for frustrated residents to share the footage. Camera companies like Ring have used the videos as marketing.

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Steven Kenworthy, a graduate student at Ohio State University in Columbus, expected a large box from Amazon with a $400 electric skateboard to arrive at his home in June. Amazon told him its carrier had delivered the item, but there was no trace of it. “Some rascal snagged my package,” Mr. Kenworthy said. He went on his neighborhood’s Nextdoor discussion forums and found reports of missing packages and suspected thieves tailing FedEx trucks through the area. “Everybody’s problems start feeling like your problems,” he said. “People were talking about how it was every single day packages would go missing.” Amazon sent him a replacement skateboard at no charge within two days, he said.

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