Online shopping became even more popular during the pandemic, but it also caused an increase in package theft. Something some individuals like Fadrea Jones are still dealing with.

“I wanted to order like a security stick for my home to make sure the door is secure and I ordered it and it was stolen off my porch while I was at work,” said Jones.

Jones has had multiple instances of package theft in the last two months after living at her residence for almost 6 years.

“I took it upon myself to get the doorbell camera to think that it was gonna deter them from wanting to take it, but the person still just comes onto the porch and takes it off the porch,” she said.

And she isn’t alone in this problem. According to a report from SafeWise, an online guide to security and safety products, an estimated 260 million delivered packages were stolen in 2022, something Rochester Police Department says is classified as a petty or grand larceny, depending on the value of the items stolen

“Officers go, they conduct a preliminary investigation. They’re looking for any cameras in the area, any witnesses in the area, things along those lines that can help solve the case,” said RPD Lieutenant Greg Bello.

Lt. Bello says cameras are the first step in deterring package thefts, followed by making sure porches have good lighting, but Jones doesn’t necessarily agree.

“Getting a doorbell camera doesn’t always help with getting packages stolen because some people don’t care if you have a doorbell camera,” Jones said.

Some online shopping platforms like Amazon have other options to ensure the safety of your packages, such as order tracking details and sharing those order tracking details with family or friends, or utilizing Amazon package pickup locations to ensure the safety of your packages when you can’t be home to do so.

“And then number three is always being good neighbors, always keeping an eye out for what’s going on at your neighbor’s house, unrecognizable people that are going up, if you see somebody running from somebody’s porch or something along those lines with a package, calling 911 and being that good neighbor of looking out for each other,” said Bello.

But it can only help with package theft so much.

“It’s frustrating because I used to have neighbors that lived downstairs and none of my packages got stolen because they would put it inside the house for me, but those neighbors don’t live here anymore,” Jones said.

Jones is now looking into using alternate methods like pickup lockers or getting packages delivered to another address, but it’s a frustrating feeling that others can relate to.

“I don’t order as many packages anymore because I don’t want to waste my hard earned money and get the package stolen,” she said.