Warren County Sheriff warns of package thefts

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – It’s that time of the year again where online shoppers need to be watchful of packages being delivered to their homes.

Porch pirates, the nickname for people who steal packages from your porch, are out in the area.

This is an issue every year, but this year, with the large number of people ordering online, the issue could be even worse.

According to the Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower, people were reported stealing items off of porches just a few weeks ago and one was caught on camera.

“Anytime that someone has any kind of surveillance equipment like that, a lot of times people post that on their own Facebook. But if people share that with us, we can get that out amongst a larger group of people, we do have really good feedback. So a lot of times we have been able to identify the perpetrators in these particular scenarios,” said Hightower.

Hightower says two people locally have been identified by the public and will likely be charged with the theft of packages in the next week once deputies have confirmed the ID’s are accurate.

This year, so many people have already lost so much.

“As difficult as this year has been, it is almost more depressing when somebody steals your packages off your front porch that are Christmas gifts, a lot of times, for family and friends and people who may be experiencing a very difficult year. It’s unfortunate there’s people within the community that have such problems and addictions and just general greed that they want to kind of steal Christmas from everybody else,” said Hightower.

Officials recommend you get deliveries inside as quickly as possible or have a trustworthy neighbor collect your items for you.

If that is not possible, then it is encouraged to request that the packages be delivered to a side door, garage or back porch.

If you see something out of the ordinary, say something. Report suspicious behaviors and keep an eye out for your neighbors when you can.