'Porch Pirate' Charged With Swiping Newly Delivered Package: Police

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Just days after Annapolis Police warned residents to be on the lookout for "porch pirates" swiping recently delivered packages from houses, a Baltimore man is charged with such a crime.

Annapolis Police say an observant neighbor reported seeing a man walking in the unit block of Steele Avenue looking into vehicle windows and throwing something into a trash can about 3 p.m. Monday. Officers located the suspect and the item thrown in the trash, which turned out to be a package that had just been delivered to a home on Steele Avenue.

Jeima Bell, 29, of Baltimore was arrested and charged with theft, police say.

As online shoppers plow through their holiday gift lists, UPS, Federal Express and U.S. Postal Service trucks are driving through neighborhoods dropping off goodies. And in a move dubbed "front porch shopping," observant thieves will follow delivery trucks and steal recently delivered packages from porches and stoops.

Annapolis Police and security experts have shared some tips on how to thwart "porch pirates" and ensure you receive your packages:

• If possible, have your package delivered to a location where it can be received by a trusted person.
• Ask neighbors who are home during the day to watch for deliveries.
• Request that the shipper holds the package at their facility for pickup.
• Track deliveries online and confirm delivery has occurred.
• Insure valuable items.
• Provide delivery instructions so packages are left out of sight from the street.
• Watch out for vehicles following delivery vans through neighborhoods. Some thieves will simply shadow deliver drivers and go from house to house stealing newly delivered packages.
• When sending packages, take them to a post office or other shipping facility rather than leaving them outside your home for pickup. Let the person you are sending the package to know to expect the package.
• Show off your home security system; make sure you have a sign in the front yard. If you have security cameras, make sure potential thieves know they're there, and if you have a doorbell camera, use it.
• Sign up for email notifications from FedEx, UPS and businesses like Amazon and Urban Outfitters to track your package from initial shipment to its arrival at your home or the recipient's address if you have the gift delivered directly.

»Photo courtesy of US Postal Service