KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Roger Leib and Kansas City, Missouri, police are urging the public to protect packages this holiday season.
"I would say just be more vigilant and get a post office box,” Leib said.
Thanks to intervention from his neighbor, Leib was not a victim of a close call with an attempted porch pirate.
He says when his neighbor heard an unusual noise outside his door Friday, he decided to take a look.
What awaited him was a suspect attempting to steal packages from Leib's porch, which Leib says he caught on surveillance cameras.
“He approached the fella, and he asked to see the package ... the guy who took the package had no idea who it was for,” Leib said. "Then he said, 'No, that's wrong.' But then a few words were exchanged, nothing too impolite, and everyone went their separate way.”
The alleged porch pirate left empty-handed. But if they had taken Leib's mail, he says it would not have been much.
“A letter from Jackson County and a letter from Kansas City, Missouri, and the package was a manual on how to fix my microwave,” Leib said. “I'm sure that would've come in handy for the guy.”
When KSHB 41 reached out to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department for tips on how to protect porches and mailboxes this holiday season, police recommended the following:
- Install cameras.
- Opt-in for ship-to-store or somewhere where packages won't be left unattended.
- Get to know your neighbors, ask them to collect your packages if you won't be home.
- File a police report if your package is stolen.
Although Leib's mail was returned, he hopes other potential porch pirates think twice.
“It's disheartening, it's frustrating, lack of better words it's violating,” Leib said.
