DENVER — When Joe Mitchell and his wife moved to Littleton in June, they thought their home in a quiet neighborhood was safe from drive-by thieves.
"I didn't expect that it would happen," Mitchell said.
In October, a thief walked up to his front door and stole more than $200 worth of deliveries that were dropped off one afternoon. Nest video shows the culprit walking to the door and loitering for more than a minute before leaving and then returning once again to steal the three packages.
"I do expect that it could happen again," Mitchell said.
In Denver, the problem has grown as well. Denver police say that reports of front door thieves have increased nearly 60% in the last three years. Police also say that only 10% of those reports lead to an arrest.
But there are tools available to online shoppers to make their deliveries harder to steal. Shipping giants UPS and FedEx say that the likelihood of front packages being stolen from porches is still rare, and delivery workers have procedures to place packages out of sight.
However, delivery companies recommend that online shoppers ensure delivery days and times when they will be home. They have also invested in delivery drop spots inside of grocery stores and shopping centers.
Lastly, delivery companies recommend that online shoppers instruct drivers where to hide packages so they are not seen from the road.
If someone does manage to steal your belongings, there is a new way to get justice. Denver7 has started the Porch Pirate Hall of Shame. Send home surveillance videos of thieves taking deliveries from your porch and their faces could end up on our website.
If you have a video you would like for us to air, send it to newstips@thedenverchannel.com.
In the email, you must answer these questions:
- Did you file a police report? If yes, please include a report number.
- Do we have your permission to share your video on air and online?