Rep. Gottheimer: Make 'porch pirate' theft a felony crime
Police in Allentown posted a video of an alleged porch pirate from Sunday.
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Where there are packages, there are those who want to steal them. It isn’t just an issue during the holiday season.
Police in Allentown posted a video of an alleged porch pirate from Sunday. Newark Public Safety shared these images yesterday from a theft last week.
Police usually call these “crimes of opportunity.”
Summit police suggest that residents sign up for delivery alerts, install security cameras, require signatures and consider using lockboxes. Another option is to pick up packages from the delivery center.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ 5) says almost half of all Americans have been the victims of package theft - costing a collective $16 billion.
He is leading a bipartisan pitch to classify these crimes as felonies regardless of who delivers them. Under current law, it’s only a felony if the package stolen is from the United States Postal Service. The felony penalties include fines and jail time.
“This is a 365-day-a-year problem,” Gottheimer said. “It's time we have stiffer penalties. It should be for any package that you get, whether that's Amazon or FedEx or UPS. If someone steals your package - there's a porch pirate that rips you off - they should pay the price.”
According to the Chamber of Commerce, a leading digital resource for small businesses nationwide, a quarter of victims don’t get a refund for their stolen items.
Gottheimer is also calling for reform there on the part of the retailers.
