Sick of porch pirates? This California bill adds prison time if they get caught

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at cracking down on so-called “porch pirates” by making repeat offenses punishable by more prison time.

Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, introduced Senate Bill 979 as a means of dealing with “habitual offenders who keep dodging real punishment for their actions.”

“While the advent of increasing home delivery of goods has benefited consumers, retailers, and the economy in general, it has also lead to increased theft of packages from outside Californians’ homes,” Jones said in a statement. “This ‘porch piracy’ epidemic is serious and needs to be addressed by our criminal justice system. Current law is weak on the punishment of this type of theft but this bill will increase the consequences significantly.”

Current law makes the theft of such packages a misdemeanor offense punishable with imprisonment in a county jail for no more than one year.

SB 979 makes the third-and-subsequent offenses within a three-year period either a misdemeanor or a felony charge, punishable by up to three years in prison.

“Theft of packages drives up prices for all consumers, increases insurance rates, and puts honest Californians in vulnerable situations should they encounter these criminals,” Jones said.