Porch Pirates Steal Packages In Middle Of Afternoon
By CBS4 Reporter Jamie Leary
DENVER (CBS4)- Porch pirates targeting a home in the Hilltop neighborhood are caught on camera in the act. Now police in Denver are asking the public for help identifying them.
About 3:25 p.m. on April 7, home surveillance shows two brazen women stealing packages from a front porch, then running to a nearby SUV where a driver was waiting.
Police say the vehicle used for the getaway is an older model dark blue or black Chevy Yukon with Colorado plates.
Police call it a crime of opportunity and typically see the package thefts spike around the holidays. As the weather warms up, the opportunity becomes easier for porch pirates to seize.
The trend for package thefts continue to rise. From Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, there were 264 package thefts in 2015 and 378 package thefts in 2016.
More and more people are relying on home surveillance to try to prevent crimes of opportunity. Denver resident Bob Jennett had a system installed after thieves broke into his home and caused $2,500 in damages. While Jennett can't quite pin point why, he has noticed crimes of opportunity on the rise.
"Maybe greater urbanization I'm not sure exactly but i know you can get on the police website and see all the crimes in your neighborhood and there's a lot of them. I am pretty concerned about it actually," said Jennett.
While home surveillance doesn't always deter thieves, for the Hilltop porch pirates, it's not doing them any favors. The two female suspects now have their faces all over social media and Denver Police are hoping someone will come forward.
Anyone with information regarding this crime or recognizes the suspects in the pictures or video is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). You can text to CRIMES (274637) then title DMCS and enter your message or send an e-mail to metro-denvercrimestoppers.com. If the information you provide leads to the arrest and charging of a wanted individual, you can receive a cash reward up to $2,000.