Police: 'Tis the season for porch pirates

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Tigard victim of porch piracy is sharing his story, saying he was shocked by how "bold" the perpetrators were during the holidays.

Benjamin Bankhardt shared security camera footage of thieves stealing about $200 worth of Christmas presents off of his front porch. He said in his 12 years of living in Tigard, he's never had packages stolen from his porch before — let alone as brazenly as this.

"It's bold, to say the least, to have somebody be able to have the courage to do something like that," Bankhardt said. "It's a little strange for somebody to go to that level, to take small items that are probably meaningless and worthless to them. So yeah, it's a little surprising."

Despite the frustration, Bankhardt said he was able to get his items replaced the same day by Amazon. He filed a police report, too, though the Tigard Police Department said they don't have many updates on his case.

Tigard police did want to share with the public steps people can take to prevent porch pirates from getting away with it.

Kelly Anderson, a spokesperson with the Tigard Police Department, said filing a police report like what Bankhardt did is always a smart move. If a theft victim happens to have video of the crime taking place, show it to police, she said.

"We want to make sure that we're capturing faces, any cars or trucks that might be associated with anybody coming up to your porch," Anderson said.

It's also a smart idea to "have your packages delivered somewhere where somebody can physically receive them," like a place of work or business address, she said.

"Maybe it's with a neighbor who you know was retired and home during the day," Anderson said.

Other tips police shared on how to prevent porch pirates include picking up the items as quickly as possible or even sending them to a locker where they can be picked up from a secure location.

Tigard police said porch pirates are a common occurrence, especially this time of year. In fact, they said they've already gotten 10 reports of thieves this holiday season.