BRYANT, Ark. — As we head into the holidays, package thieves are becoming more common. It's a trend Bryant Police Sgt. Todd Crowson knows all too well.
"We have seen an increase. I think other cities, surrounding cities, have also seen an increase," he said. "Let's face it, it's how a lot of people shop nowadays, they shop online."
In Bryant, they've already started to see this happen.
"They follow these guys around. They follow Amazon trucks around and unfortunately, they don't care," Crowson said. "They'll steal the packages right off the porches."
Crowson said thieves will be bold when it comes to stealing – they caught a man stealing before Thanksgiving only because of a video doorbell.
"It all stems from just seeing video," he said. "We knew what he looked like, we knew what he drove, and the officer caught him in the neighborhood going through the packages that he just stole."
A recently approved Arkansas law may help deter porch pirates. If thieves are caught stealing packages worth more than $1,000, they could be charged with a felony and even jail time.
"Some of these packages are expensive," Crowson said. "You start getting up there in the prices on them, and they think what they think, they're just stealing. It's not going to be nothing but a slap on the wrist, you're looking at a felony charge."
But there's no guarantee that these thieves will be caught, and thieves will still be thieves – they'll take what they want.
"You leave a package on a front porch, and they know there's nobody at home," Crowson said. "They just use that as a time of opportunity to go steal the package right off the porch."
So, how do you avoid this? Crowson said there's no guaranteed way, but there are some simple things to do to help.
"Have it delivered to a neighbors house. Or, call your neighbor and have them watch for it, come pick it up for you," he said. "Check with your employment, see if they mind having it delivered there while you're at work."
So as those packages become more common as we head into December, Crowson said keep an eye out and help those around you.
"Have your neighbors watch your house, you watch their house. That's another key thing, watch each other's backs in the neighborhoods. If they know that you're doing that, the thieves will move on," he said.
Crowson encourages you to get a video recording device such as a doorbell or camera system, if you're able to. He also recommends lights for your front porch as well.