There was much fanfare when Georgia made porch piracy a separate crime from theft. Six months later, the number of parcel thefts is still difficult to track.
ATLANTA — It was the holiday surprise Michaela Allen never hoped to see. Allen looked through her video cameras at home and saw someone snatch the mirror she was waiting for right off her porch.
“Seeing that video was like, ‘Gosh, I feel really taken aback,'” she said.
There was quite a stir when the Georgia legislature officially made porch piracy a separate crime from theft. The law was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 10 and went into effect on July 1.
Nearly six months later, 11Alive contacted more than a dozen law enforcement agencies around the subway for arrests and the total number of package thefts, and learned that these incidents are still difficult to trace.
Only two agencies have been able to easily report how many parcel thefts they’ve had since the law went into effect.
Cobb County police reported 55 incidents, according to police records, while Brookhaven police reported 16. Nine other departments, including major agencies like the Atlanta Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department and Gwinnett County Police Department, confirmed they don’t track stolen packages separately from other types of theft. Three departments did not respond to inquiries from 11Alive.
“Our crime analysis does not specifically track parcel theft. Everything is listed as takeaway,” a police spokesman for Gwinnett said via email, adding that her department is working to update its reporting system to track allegations of piracy on the porch.
Only a handful of other law enforcement agencies confirmed they had parcel theft cases that fit the parameters of the new Front Porch Piracy Act.
“Each law has specific requirements,” said Brookhaven Police Officer Andrea Garrett. “There are certain things that must be fulfilled before we can impeach this law.”
Georgia’s new piracy law aims to stop repeat offenders. Under the law, someone who takes three or more packages from three or more addresses can be charged with a felony, although a judge may, at his discretion, reduce that charge to a misdemeanor.
Brookhaven Police reviewed their incident reports and while clarifying that the package theft rate is low, the agency confirmed four incidents of front porch piracy that meet the requirements of the new law. A challenge for law enforcement, Garrett explained, is that people are posting videos of the thefts on social media instead of reporting them to the police.
“Anytime around the holiday season, New Year’s Eve, we always see an increase in this crime,” Garrett said. “And I think what’s important here is to always report so it can lead to an investigation.”
Allen filed a police report with her local department and alerted the neighbors. Living on a busy street, she’s never had a problem with parcel thieves, but said she’d definitely be more vigilant in the future.
“I definitely had a lot of things in mind that I would do differently,” she said.
Click here for tips on outsmarting porch pirates this holiday season.
As soon as a parcel has been successfully delivered, the police advise caution when disposing of parcel boxes. Garrett recommends not leaving empty boxes on the curb, which could draw attention to new gifts and make a home a potential target for thieves.
Seeking perspective on the Atlanta-area parcel theft numbers, 11Alive reached out to the United States Postal Service and other carriers regarding implementation of the new law and received the following explanations:
USPS: “Postal inspectors will continue to work with our local law enforcement partners to identify and investigate individuals responsible for postal service mail thefts. This new law allows local authorities to charge thieves with parcel theft from all delivery couriers and should serve as a deterrent to anyone committing the crime. If residents believe their mail has been stolen, they can report it to www.uspis.gov or by calling 877-876-2455.”
Fedex: “Throughout the year we work with our drivers and service providers to understand their surroundings and report any unusual activity. And when customers use FedEx Delivery Manager, our drivers and service providers follow instructions on where and when their deliveries should be made, helping to protect everyone’s shipments. Any customer who suspects a package has been stolen should contact the police.”
UPS: “UPS customers can control their shipments through the following options:
- Customers can sign up for a free service called UPS My Choice, which sends a proactive email notification letting them know when their package is scheduled for delivery.
- When customers are at work during the day, they can use UPS My Choice to have packages delivered to their place of work or to a UPS Access Point location. They can also have their deliveries sent to a relative or neighbor who is home during the day.
- Customers can tell our driver where to leave packages with UPS My Choice. For example in the shed in the backyard or behind the garage. UPS drivers can also enter this information into their handheld computers for future deliveries.
- UPS encourages consumers to contact the police if they believe a crime has been committed.
