Durango is seemingly immune to porch pirates, opportunist thieves who steal packages.
In the past two months, just one verified package theft was recorded by the Durango Police Department, although at least half a dozen were reported, said Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop with DPD. The one verified stolen package, a Christmas present worth $40, was taken from a home on 32nd street.
“I’m struggling to find much information,” Dunlop said after searching through two months of larceny records for package theft reports.
No arrests were made in Durango in the past two months for package theft, Dunlop said.
However, nationwide, 11 million homeowners had a package stolen in 2016, according to August Home, a private company that sells smart home products for front doors. In September 2016, the company surveyed of 1,001 U.S. homeowners, ages 18 to 74, who own or use smartphones and found that 81 percent of respondents said they were worried about package theft because they “know there are more packages delivered around the holidays and (thieves) are more likely to steal them than at other times of the year.”
While the concern may be real, the threat, at least in Durango, is unfounded, Dunlop said. Anthony Albo, customer service supervisor with the Durango Post Office, concurred.
“In previous years, we’ve had some, but this year, we haven’t had a lot of theft,” Albo said.
Albo attributed the decline in package thefts to an increasing popularity of front door cameras. Dozens of companies sell these surveillance devices, which often connect in some way to a cellphone and can broadcast live and record images if motion is detected.
Police around the country have used surveillance footage from door cameras to catch package thieves, from Albuquerque to Tallahassee.
Albo said the threat of being caught on camera has deterred potential thieves, especially this year as the technology has become more popular in the region.
Still, people like safety. Some have parcels shipped to work. Others will have friends pick up packages for them or even have them delivered to a friend’s house who works or stays at home. Package tracking is helpful, and requiring a signature for delivery will ensure a package won’t be left at the door. Dunlop said each tactic is effective as police often don’t have much evidence to work with in package theft cases.
Durango also has about 100 package lockers. Confluence at Three Springs Apartments installed an Amazon Locker in July. It is a package kiosk that receives packages from Amazon.com, said Joy Habrat, a leasing agent at Three Springs Apartments. Many major metropolitan areas around the county have installed these delivery kiosks, including many of the Greystar apartments, Habrat said.
The package locker has gotten mixed reviews.
Some people like the convenience and security the Amazon Locker offers, but others are annoyed they must walk to get a package that has traditionally been delivered to a doorstep, Habrat said.
It’s not that Confluence at Three Springs Apartments had a problem with package thefts before, the Amazon Locker was instead installed as an upgrade to the complex.
“It was just an addition to the apartments here, it was built to convenience residents, but it’s a little mixed here and there,” Habrat said.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
