Expecting a package with a high-value item? Don’t forget to track it.
Palm Beach Police are reminding residents and businesses to follow the trail of expensive items expected to arrive at their homes.
So-called porch pirates — thieves who steal packages from doorsteps — aren’t roaming Palm Beach, but some packages have gone missing in transit, said police spokesman Sgt. Michael Ogrodnick.
“Make sure that you’re verifying where it is and track that package, especially if it’s a high dollar-value item,” he said.
He referred to a case reported to town police in April, when a Palm Beach resident expected a valuable item to be delivered, and it never arrived.
“That wasn’t being tracked by the recipient,” Ogrodnick said. “Somebody intercepted it. The package is gone.”
He also reminded residents to be present or have someone else waiting when the package arrives at its destination.
A 2025 report from the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General found that at least 58 million packages were stolen in 2024. While most stolen packages that year were valued at between $50 and $204, the total estimated annual losses were in the billions — as much as $16 billion, according to the report.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach police warn residents to track packages to avoid theft
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
