Taking steps to make “porch pirates” think twice about stealing items left on porches by commercial delivery drivers, Kentucky lawmakers are working to close a loophole in a long-ago enacted statute.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill on Thursday that updates Kentucky’s theft of mail statute. Senate Bill 23 is sponsored by Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville.
“We’re hoping to be able to put a dent in” thieves stealing delivered items off porches, Yates told the committee. Currently, it is a misdemeanor to take a commercially delivered item off a porch.
Under the measure, the felony theft of mail offense, which currently only applies to mail delivered by the U.S. Post Service, would be expanded to include stealing packages delivered by such commercial carriers as Amazon, UPS and FedEx, making the offense a class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The bill easily made it through the committee and now heads to the full Senate.
Some people have been victimized “over and over again,” particularly in larger cities, with the theft of medicines and other important items from their porches, Yates said.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
