WASHINGTON (7News) — Security company SafeWise has just released its annual theft report, just in time for the busy holiday shopping season.

While porch piracy may be leveling out, numbers are still very high and in the District, there’s reason to be concerned. D.C. ranks fourth worst city in the country for package theft, with over $231 million in losses this year. The released report reveals insights into crime rates, local security trends, and how communities combat porch pirates.

Around 120 million packages were stolen throughout the U.S. in 2023; 92 million incidents were of package theft and 261,000 package theft incidents per day.

Porch pirates snatched $16 Billion in goods.

Security.org also released its report this week, which shows similar numbers.

Based on a survey of 11,000 adults in 50 states, the report also noted that one-quarter of American adults have had a package stolen, and 4%, 14 million people, suffered a theft within the last three months.

Now, as you start making online holiday orders, here are the 10 worst cities for package theft in 2024.

1. New York City, N.Y.

2. Philadelphia, Pa.

3. Chicago, Ill.

4. Washington, D.C.

5. Houston, Texas

6. Atlanta, Ga.

7. Charlotte, N.C.

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

9. Boston, Mass.

10. Cleveland, Ohio

The average value of each stolen parcel was $204, meaning nearly $3 billion in e-commerce merchandise was swiped over this past summer. The survey found that nine out of ten consumers shop online at least once per month, and half do so weekly. 42% of the population sometimes leaves their doors unlocked, while around 15% do so even when they are not home. Such negligence makes their homes easy targets for burglars and increases the chances of package theft.

“We estimate that there are about 213 package theft incidents per 100 households in the D.C. area. That could represent nearly 500 out of a thousand people actually being impacted by this. So we know that it’s happening, we are definitely shopping online. I don’t want to tell people to stop shopping online, I myself am an avid online shopper, just take some proactive measures,” said Rebecca Edwards, safety expert at SafeWise.

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One of the biggest changes these reports have found is that more people are taking action to prevent package theft. Consumers are getting smarter. Nationwide, just one in four people don’t do anything to deter porch pirates. Those numbers change drastically after someone loses a package — more than eight in 10 added a deterrent after falling victim. Security.org’s survey shows that 52% of all households — renters and homeowners — have a security camera, compared to 42% in 2023.

Proactive Steps To Avoid Porch Piracy:

• Don’t leave packages unattended.
• Ship to store, storefront, or post office box.
• Require a signature.
• Opt-in to shipping-related emails. Set up your own notifications with your smartphone or app
• Make alternative arrangements. If you can’t be home to bring in those packages, have them delivered somewhere else. You can use a package locker service, ask a friend or neighbor, use a personal delivery locker on your porch.

SafeWise took a closer look at how people are fighting package theft. One in four Americans don’t do anything to protect their packages. Over eight in ten added some type of protection after being hit by porch pirates.

Of those who use a deterrent, 21% had a security camera or video doorbell in place when their packages were stolen. 32% said they installed a security camera after a package theft.

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“I have a package locker that sits on my porch that I have personally but I’ve also lived in apartments or in cities where Amazon lockers and things like that are available. So, take the extra time. This one little step is going to save you so much headache, money, and stress especially if a special Christmas present gets taken, it messes up your whole holiday plan,” added Edwards.

Ring was the most-purchased brand of security camera (46%). Package tracking and working with neighbors are the most used deterrents after cameras. People prefer to pick up prescription drugs, food and groceries, and computers and other electronics in person, rather than risk a package theft.

Package theft by the numbers:

Around 120.5 million packages were stolen in 2023.

Nearly 92 million incidents of package theft occurred in 2023. The US sees 261,000 incidents of package theft every day. 43 of the 327 metro areas had more than 1,000 incidents per 1,000 households. 8 in 10 victims had more than one package stolen in the past 12 months.

Amazon delivered the majority of packages stolen.

The D.C. region will be hearing more and more about the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, in the coming months as he leads a task force that will make recommendations to President-elect Donald Trump on how to reshape the federal workforce.

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At least in some areas, Musk and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser seem to agree.

Musk will lead a task force called the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. The group posted a statement on social media late Wednesday saying federal agencies are using, on average, just 12% of the space in their D.C. headquarters.

“Why are American taxpayer dollars being spent to maintain empty buildings?” the statement asked.

More Trump Impact

When asked whether Bowser had any advice for the group related to that topic, the D.C. mayor said, “We think the federal government needs a centralized remote work policy.”

“Our message about that is the same as it’s been for the last almost four years,” Bowser said. “We think that government workers should be in their offices more than they’re on telework.”

When asked whether Bowser would be willing to work with the task force if it reached out to her, she responded by saying, “I absolutely will share my ideas.”

Plans for the Department of Government Efficiency are still coming into focus.

The group put out a call for “small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.”

Applicants are encouraged to submit their resumes through X, the social media company that Musk owns.

In an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy said that they want to “identify the minimum number of employees required at an agency for it to perform its constitutionally permissible and statutorily mandated functions,” leading to “mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy.”

Some employees could choose “voluntary severance payments to facilitate a graceful exit,” the pair wrote.

Others would be encouraged to quit by mandating that they show up at the office five days a week, ending the pandemic-era flexibility that remote work provides.

The requirement “would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome,” Musk and Ramaswamy said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Dozens of law enforcement officials from across the country gathered Wednesday at the Australian Embassy in Northwest D.C. to discuss strategies for strengthening partnerships with international police agencies.

It was part of the D.C. Police Leadership Academy, a program designed to develop law enforcement leaders.

“This program targets … mid-level ranks, which is typically lieutenant or captain,” said Jessica Bress, the director of the D.C. Police Department’s strategic projects office.

The department first started the program in early 2023.

It’s about three weeks long and includes seminars from law enforcement experts.

The latest class, which is set to graduate on Friday, has more than 70 people in it, including 19 from the D.C. police force. All the others are from various departments nationwide.

Bress said people generally join the program to “learn leadership skills, network and meet a group of like-minded colleagues from across the country.”

“The problems that we’re dealing with in policing and law enforcement in America are sometimes the same everywhere,” said Bress. “There are also some differences, and there’s always benefits from learning and getting exposure to agencies outside of our own.”

John Fitzgerald, a lieutenant detective with the Boston Police Department in Massachusetts, is among those graduating this week.

“I’m learning a lot from working with people from state, local, federal and international law enforcement,” said Fitzgerald. “What I’m getting from it is perspective on how other places do it.”

Fitzgerald said the program has focused on technology, evidence-based policing and teaching people how to lead by example.

“It’s leaders wanting to lead,” Fitzgerald said. “Everybody who’s here has asked to be here or … worked really hard to get a slot here, and that means a lot.”

According to Bress, Wednesday’s visit to the Australian Embassy demonstrated the importance of building relationships with international law enforcement agencies.

“In D.C., we have more exposure to it, but these are participants from across the country,” said Bress. “A lot of them probably aren’t even aware of these international liaison networks.”

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.