A homeowner is fed up with package thieves, burgled twice in as many weeks
/A still from the video captured by a resident of a mail stealing a package from his home.
A resident near Taylor and Rock Creek Church Road is exasperated at having packages repeatedly stolen off of the porch of his house by the same thief, first on the 14th and again on the 21st.
The thief is either a local gardener / lawnmower or pretends he is, says the resident, as he appears in one video made by the resident’s security camera pushing a lawnmower past the house, and in the other video he’s seen messing with a water hose before going up to the porch and putting packages into a black plastic bag.
“This is the first time in seven years I’ve had any package theft,” the resident said. He said he’s told his neighbors about the incidents and has reported the thefts to MPD. “I want people to be aware this is happening.”
This certainly isn’t the first time a package thief has hit the area, as there was one hitting homes nearby on 4th Street NW. Most people have stories about packages disappearing from their porch, and videos posted to local listservs keep making the rounds. You probably have had something stolen or know someone who has.
Remember, DC provides a rebate for security cameras — up to $500 for residents, $750 for businesses and churches. You can learn more about how to get the rebate and see some suggestions on cameras (like the Nest camera used by this resident) in this article:
Places like Town & Country Market on Upshur and other locations act as a UPS package pick up spot / “access point,” meaning you can have your packages delivered to them instead of your home. You can then pick them up at your convenience. Also, Safeway has an “Amazon Locker” where you can get packages delivered.
And hey… maybe visit more local brick and mortar stores for shopping? (And yeah, I order way too much from Amazon, too, so… gotta take my own advice here.)
Be safe!
