From News Nation:
“Happy package theft season:
The states most and least likely to have a problem”
Now that holiday shopping is
practically synonymous with online shopping, more packages will be delivered to
homes around the country in the coming weeks. And more packages means more
opportunities for package theft. Analysis of FBI crime data from 2019 conducted
by CCTV Camera World found which states have the highest rates of larceny theft
per capita. The FBI doesn’t track package theft specifically, but categorizes
it as a type of larceny (defined as stealing someone else’s property). The area
with the highest rate of larceny, the analysis found, was Washington, D.C.,
which makes sense given its density.
The states with the most
reported larceny thefts per capita were:
Louisiana
South Carolina
Hawaii
Alaska
Oregon
Arkansas
New Mexico
Tennessee
Washington
Alabama
The states with the fewest
larceny thefts per capita were:
Massachusetts
Idaho
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Connecticut
West Virginia
Michigan
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
As package theft becomes a
growing problem, some states have passed laws categorizing it as a crime with
its own set of punishments. Earlier this year, California expanded its laws on
mail theft to include packages delivered by private carriers, like Amazon.
Stealing a package from someone’s porch could now get you a fine, jail time or
both. The law in Texas is even tougher. In 2019, the state made mail theft a
felony. Those convicted of stealing from lots of people – between 20 and 50 –
could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
^ I know this is a major problem
especially in cities. I live on an isolated mountain road so someone would have
to be desperate to come to my front door and steal a package. I have seen the
USPS leave packages on top of the line of mailboxes 2 miles from my house –
where my mailbox is with 9 others. I had
to tell them not to leave any of mine on top of my mailbox and now get a
package slip and have to drive to the Post Office in the next town to get it. ^
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