A new Forbes study ranks Tennessee the 11th worst state in the country for porch piracy, the theft of packages delivered to homes before the homeowner receives them.
“Porch piracy peaked during the pandemic when more people shopped online than ever before, according to Security.org’s annual package theft report,” according to Forbes. “Theft of parcels in general tends to increase during the holiday season as well. As online shopping continues to be on the rise, so do incidences of porch piracy.”
The study said that nearly eight in 10 Americans had been victims of porch piracy, also noting that Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, and Kentucky have made the act a felony.
“The average value of a stolen package is around $50. Forty percent of all packages stolen are valued between $50 to $100,” according to Forbes. “Porch pirates know that most packages will contain items of varied value, so they repeatedly strike hoping to score an expensive item. Porch piracy has become an epidemic in this country, with 67% of Americans falling victim. Some 22% have had more than one package stolen and 11% had three or more stolen.”
In Tennessee, 224 people per 100,000 will be victimized by porch piracy, making it the 11th-most pirated state.
The Tennessee Star contacted the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to determine whether porch piracy is a major concern.
“It is from time to time as we may have an outbreak of such thefts, usually spread out across the county,” said spokesperson Kristin Mumford. “We caution people, especially around the Christmas holiday, to have packages delivered at work or when someone is home.”
Mumford said that while the police department does not keep official statistics on porch piracy, such crimes are categorized under theft for reporting purposes.
Forbes says that the best solution for preventing porch piracy is surveillance.
“Though porch pirates are on the rise, there are many things people can do to thwart and prevent them from striking,” according to the study. “These include installing security cameras, requiring a signature or having packages held for pickup by the customer.”
“Package theft still happens when security cameras are in place, though rates do significantly decrease. Thirty percent of those who had a package stolen in 2022 had a functioning security camera in place.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
