Whether you prefer the term ‘package theft’ or ‘porch piracy’, you probably don’t want to be the next victim. Yet package theft is now ubiquitous across the United States. It is a problem more severe than most of us realize, even with doorbell cameras being as prolific as they are.
Does this mean investing in a doorbell camera is a waste of money? Absolutely not. As one story recently reported out of Louisiana demonstrates, video footage from doorbell cameras can be quite useful in catching suspects. No, the real point here is that all of us need to be more diligent about package delivery. We need to take away the opportunity for thieves to steal our packages.
Video Footage Helps Nab Two Suspects
Investigators in Kenner, LA, were looking into a series of package theft crimes. They had video footage from one of the incidents showing a suspect stealing prescription medication from a victim’s porch. The footage was combined with additional footage and license plate tracking software. In the end, investigators were able to locate the owner of the car and procure a search warrant for his house.
To make a long story short, the police eventually fingered two suspects they believe are responsible for package theft crimes across a number of states. The financial impact of their crimes is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are two men who stole everything from packages to mail to credit cards and checks.
Without video footage, the police would not have had the advantage. They would have had no faces to look for and no license plates to trace. So even though the thieves got away with a lot of stolen merchandise, it was video footage that eventually helped catch them.
A Simple but Effective Premise
The video doorbell is a simple but effective piece of equipment. Vivint Home Security carries them, recommending them to new customers installing security systems for the first time. According to Vivint, it is easy to both install and use.
A video doorbell can take the place of an existing doorbell or be a brand-new device for the homeowner. Either way, it includes both onboard audio capabilities and a small camera. Under normal circumstances, visitors use the video doorbell the same way they would use a standard doorbell. They push the button to alert the homeowner to their presence.
In a package theft or burglary scenario, the embedded video camera records footage and stores it, streams it in real time, or both. Most video doorbells also send alerts to either remote monitoring centers or a homeowner’s phone. Monitoring personnel or homeowners can react instantly.
Video Doorbells as a Deterrent
Companies like Vivint promote video doorbells as deterrents to porch piracy. As the thinking goes, a criminal who knows his activities are being monitored in real time is less likely to follow through. Rather, he is more likely to move on to another house where video surveillance is not present.
The Louisiana theft is proof that video doorbells do not stop all porch pirates, but at least they provide evidence investigators can use to catch the criminals. The more often criminals are caught, the less likely they are to continue committing package theft.
I work from home, so package theft isn’t a big deal to me. But if I worked outside the house, you bet I would install a video doorbell. I would probably install a secondary external camera as well. I am a big proponent of video surveillance to deter and catch criminals. I would be thrilled to help stop porch piracy in its tracks.
