How to Stop Package Theft: Porch Pirates, Nevada AB 272, and Video Doorbells

The most reliable way to stop porch pirates is to keep packages from sitting unattended in view of the street: track deliveries, have them left out of sight or let a carrier inside, and cover your porch with a video doorbell and camera that alert you the moment someone walks up. In Nevada, stealing a package delivered by the postal service or a private carrier is also a felony under the state's 2023 mail theft law, so good video can help police make it count. Here is what changed, and what actually works at the front door.

Package theft in Nevada and what AB 272 changed

Online shopping means more boxes on more porches, and porch pirates count on them being left alone for hours. Before 2023, Nevada handled most of these cases under its general theft laws. Assembly Bill 272, passed in the 2023 session and effective July 1, 2023, created a specific crime of mail theft, now NRS 205.975.

Under the law, a person commits mail theft if they:

• Knowingly take, destroy, hide, or embezzle mail with intent to deprive or defraud someone, or get mail by fraud or deception.
• Buy, receive, conceal, or possess mail they know or should know was stolen.
• Possess a Postal Service key for centralized neighborhood or apartment mailboxes, or a counterfeit key designed to open them.
• Damage, open, or destroy a mail receptacle to steal what is inside.

Mail theft is a category D felony, and the court must order the person to pay restitution. Importantly for porch pirates, the statute defines mail to include parcels and packages, and it counts both the United States Postal Service and private common mail carriers as a postal service. A box left on your step by a carrier can fall under the law.

A tougher law only helps once someone is identified, though. That is where clear video of the person and the moment of the theft matters. The rest of this guide is about preventing the theft in the first place and capturing useful evidence if it happens anyway.

Delivery habits that cut risk

• Turn on carrier alerts. Sign up for delivery notifications from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and the retailers you order from, so you know when a box is coming and when it lands.
• Choose where it goes. Ask for delivery behind a side gate, at a side entry, or into a lockable delivery box instead of the front step in plain view.
• Use pickup points and lockers for valuable items, or ship to your workplace if that is allowed.
• Time big deliveries for days when someone is home, or require a signature for expensive orders.
• Lean on a neighbor. Ask someone you trust to grab packages when you are away, and return the favor.
• Let the carrier in. With a smart lock, you can see the driver on the doorbell camera, unlock the door so they set the box inside, then lock up and re-arm from your phone.
• Break down boxes from big purchases before you put them at the curb, so you are not advertising what is inside.

Video doorbells and porch cameras: what to look for

A video doorbell is the single most useful porch device. When someone rings or walks up, you get an alert and live video on your phone, and you can talk through the doorbell from anywhere. If a driver rings while you are at work, you can ask them to tuck the box out of sight or come back another time.

Features worth paying for:

• People detection. Instead of reacting to every passing car or blowing branch, the doorbell recognizes a person and alerts you when someone actually approaches. Older motion sensors that react to heat and movement trigger far more nuisance alerts.
• Detection zones. Limit alerts to your porch and walkway, not the sidewalk and street.
• Two-way audio so you can speak to a delivery driver or tell a stranger they are on camera.
• Hardwired power. A doorbell wired to your existing doorbell circuit does not need recharging and works with standard chimes.
• Built for the outdoors. Choose a model rated for extreme heat if it faces afternoon sun in Las Vegas or Phoenix.
• One app. The best doorbells live in the same app as your alarm, locks, and lights. From the doorbell's call screen you can turn on lights or unlock the door without switching apps.

The Alarm.com 750 Video Doorbell (VDB750) we install is a good example of this feature set: people detection that works in poor weather and within zones you choose, a battery-free hardwired design, and actions from the call screen to control lights and locks.

Where to place porch cameras

• Cover the drop spot. Check where carriers actually leave packages. If the box ends up beside the door or below the doorbell's view, add a camera aimed at that spot.
• Make cameras visible. Many porch thieves assume nobody is watching. A camera they can see, plus a security sign or decal, tells them otherwise.
• Watch the approach from the driveway or sidewalk so you capture a face and a vehicle, not just the top of a hat.
• Add light. Motion-activated porch lights or a floodlight camera brighten the scene for better night video and startle anyone who walks up after dark.

Smart analytics and alerts that catch a thief in the act

Package theft usually happens within minutes of a delivery, so speed matters. Video analytics can tell people from animals and vehicles, which keeps alerts meaningful. Set your app to send a clip when a person is detected on the porch, and you will see the carrier drop the box and anyone who walks up after them.

When the porch camera is part of a full smart home security system, devices work together. A person detected at night can turn on the porch lights automatically. A motion sensor near the door can send an alert, and you can check live video right away. If you see a theft in progress, call the police and keep the clip.

Holiday delivery season checklist

Deliveries pile up between Black Friday and the end of December, and so do the boxes left sitting on porches. Before the season starts:

1. Test your video doorbell and porch camera and confirm alerts reach every phone that should get them.
2. Clean camera lenses and check that the view of the drop spot is clear.
3. Turn on carrier notifications and set delivery instructions with your most-used retailers.
4. Set porch and walkway lights on a schedule or to turn on with motion.
5. Plan for travel days: hold deliveries, use pickup points, or ask a neighbor to collect.
6. Hide gifts once they arrive. A contact sensor on a closet door alerts you if curious kids go looking.
7. Break down boxes before recycling day.

For more on getting the house ready for trips, see our vacation and holiday home security checklist.

What to do if a package is stolen

1. Save the video. Download the clip from your app before it rolls off your storage.
2. Report it to police. Give them the clip, the time, and a description of the person and any vehicle. A report also helps if a pattern emerges on your street.
3. Contact the seller and carrier. Many retailers will replace or refund stolen items, and carriers can confirm when and where the package was delivered.
4. Tell your neighbors. Share the clip in your neighborhood group so others can watch for the same person.
5. Fix the gap. Change where deliveries are left, add a camera for the drop spot, or set up lighting so the next attempt is caught sooner.

Protect the porch and the rest of the house

Porch cameras and a video doorbell are often the first piece of a larger system. Pair them with a monitored alarm, smart locks, and lighting, and the same devices that protect packages protect your home every day. For the bigger picture, read how to protect your home from burglars.

Sting Alarm has installed video doorbells, cameras, and smart home security in Las Vegas since 2003 and now serves the Phoenix metro too. Call Las Vegas (702) 737-8464 or Phoenix (602) 431-1300, or request a free quote.