Bloomington police warn of porch pirates

Posted on December 5, 2023

Bloomington Police Department — *Anyone who sees packages being stolen should call Bloomington police at (309) 820-8888. (WJBC file photo)*

BLOOMINGTON – It’s December, and holiday packages are arriving at doorsteps. Bloomington police are offering some tips to avoid porch pirates this holiday season.

BPD shared a Facebook post with the following advice:

Try and retrieve the packages as soon as possible.
If you know a family member or neighbor will be home, ask them to pick up the packages as soon as they are delivered. (It wouldn’t hurt to reward them with fresh baked cookies.)
Switch the delivery location to work, where it can be received by someone and not left on the porch.
See if the post office or store the product is being shipped from can hold the package for pick-up.
Surveillance equipment and video doorbells can be useful deterrents.

Lingering in an area or following a delivery driver may be signs of a porch pirate as well.

Anyone who sees packages being stolen should call Bloomington police at (309) 820-8888.

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