CAUGHT ON CAM: Porch pirate steals packages from Lawton family’s home

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - It’s the time of year when delivery drivers are dropping off millions of holiday packages to homes each day.

Thieves see it as an opportunity to steal right from your front door.

A Lawton woman is warning people to beware porch pirates. Alyson Bishop said she and her family were at a gathering when she got a notification on her watch.

It said the camera on the front porch detected motion at her central Lawton home

“I saw the guy run up my driveway, pick up the package, run off and then I was just kind of stunned.” Bishop said. “I didn’t know what to do, but I got my husband and said, ‘Somebody just stole my daughter’s Blues Clues.’”

Bishop reported the theft to Amazon. She said the company replaced what they could and refunded what they couldn’t.

She said she’ll be more vigilant in the future when she expects a delivery, and she hopes others will, too.

“Amazon does do local pick up some places,” Bishop said, “so you can send it there and pick it up somewhere. List delivery instructions, how you want it to be delivered. I think I’ll take advantage of that a little bit more.”

Lawton Police Sergeant Christopher Blessing said in the last year, only five packages have been reported stolen in the city.

“We think people are typically reporting it to those companies,” Blessing said, “which is the right thing to do, but we also stress that you please report it if it has been stolen because a crime has been committed and you’re a victim of that crime.”

Blessing said to avoid porch pirates, shoppers can arrange to pick items up at a shipping facility or require a signature for delivery.

“One thing they can do is install some kind of camera system, whether it be a doorbell camera, some security footage on top of the garage door, anything like that,” Blessing said, “it’s imperative that we have video footage if you are victim of a crime because it helps us out with our case.”

Blessing said he urges victims of porch pirates to report it to LPD. You can file a report by calling non-emergency dispatch at 580-581-3272.

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