The Fulton County Marshal’s Department is urging residents to minimize opportunities for “porch pirates” this holiday season after apprehending a person allegedly caught on camera stealing packages from the mail room of a North Atlanta apartment complex.
“Your vigilance can make a difference,” the department said Tuesday in a social media post. “Together, we can keep our communities safe.”
Residents should consider using secure delivery boxes, having packages held at the post office, or arranging for a trusted person to promptly retrieve deliveries to help prevent theft, the department said.
The name of the apprehended individual was not released.
The post on Instagram and Facebook did not state when or where the person was apprehended, whether they face charges, how many packages were stolen, or if those packages were recovered. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond Thursday to inquiries.
Credit: Fulton County Marshal's Department
Credit: Fulton County Marshal's Department
In Georgia, porch piracy is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
State law defines porch piracy as the taking without permission of at least three envelopes, bags, packages or other related articles belonging to another “from the porch, steps, or immediate vicinity of any entrance or exit of a dwelling of three or more different mailboxes or addresses.”
A recent report by security.org based on a survey of more than 11,000 Americans estimates that $12 billion worth of packages were stolen in the past year from as many as 58 million people. Apartment dwellers experience package theft at double the rate of those who live in single-family homes, according to the report.
In Georgia, the median value of recently stolen packages was $100, security.org said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says its inspectors arrest thousands of mail and package thieves each year. The federal agency’s tips on preventing mail and package theft include promptly retrieving posted items, contacting senders about overdue items, and using the U.S. Postal Service’s hold mail service.
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