Canton business owner offers neighborhood residents solution to holiday porch pirate problem
BALTIMORE – More packages are delivered to homes than at any other time of the year during the holiday shopping season.
Experts and law enforcement officers are warning people to stay vigilant in protecting their deliveries.
Ring security camera videos from the Rosedale neighborhood recently posted to the Neighbors app show a silver minivan making stops in front of homes where packages had recently been delivered.
One or two people can be seen jumping out of the van, running up to the home, stealing the package, and quickly retreating to the getaway car.
Several victims reportedly notified police of the alleged porch pirates.
On Twitter, Baltimore Police offered several tips to prevent package thefts:
-Request a specific delivery time and date
-Request the shipper hold the package
-Ship the package to a trusted location, such as your employer
-Install security cameras
Other prevention tips offered by experts include installing a delivery lockbox outside of your home, requiring a signature for your item, utilizing Amazon lockers or shipping directly to a store for pick up.
In Canton, a locally owned store is offering this service.
Dan Hoffman, the owner of Canton Games on Essex Street, has started accepting packages from residents in an effort to cut down on thefts.
"Everybody was getting their stuff stolen but nobody had a solution for it," Hoffman said. "So I said, I have a storefront. Ship your stuff here. I'll keep it safe here."
About six years ago, Hoffman explained he started to offer the service but took a pause during the pandemic.
But just in time for the holiday shopping season this year, Hoffman reopened his doors to neighbors in need of a safe place to ship their packages free of charge.
"We probably get in half a dozen more packages a day," Hoffman said. "Everybody is just thankful that there's somebody out there who's trying to help them."
The police department asks residents to report crimes in progress.
