CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -In the past 24 hours three Northeast Ohio law enforcement or community watchdog Facebook pages posted video and pictures of packages thieves.
Criminals are seen on doorbell cameras running up to porches, pilfering packages and poof, they’re gone.
In the case of a Stark county theft, the criminal didn’t do much to hide his identity.
In Pepper Pike, the homeowner didn’t have their porch light on so seeing the suspect with any detail is impossible.
The thieves knew what they were doing because after the person returns to the getaway vehicle, the driver shut the headlights off on the way out of the neighborhood.
In Euclid, two teens worked as a team.
One, dressed in yellow, is the lookout and almost got left behind when the thief ran away with the packages.
While the cameras are helping, we rarely hear of porch pirates being caught and prosecuted.
Pepper Pike Police Department recently reminded people that posting video of the crime to social media, is not a replacement for calling police and reporting the crime.
They also offered these tips for delivered packages:
- Ask a neighbor to pick up a package if your plans have you away from home.
- Offer to pick up a neighbor’s packages.
- Request for packages to be sent to your post office or your workplace or a pickup location offered by your retailer.
- Schedule packages to arrive when you’re home.
- Install a front door security camera. It’s important to note that social media is not a replacement for calling us.
According to Amazon, the largest retailer shipping packages, the majority of the items make it without being stolen but they did not share any numbers with us on just how many are reported stolen.
An Amazon spokes person said customer should take advantages of package tracking, Amazon Day to choose your delivery day, and Key by Amazon which allows packages to be lift inside a home, garage or even your car.
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