Package thieves use holiday season as time to shine, but law enforcement, Amazon offer tips to avoid falling victim

The holidays are just around the corner, and so are opportunistic porch pirates waiting to steal that package.

Last week, Spokane police recovered a large quantity of stolen items, including Amazon packages, from a north Spokane apartment and reunited the stolen goods with 21 victims. Police arrested Zack G. Bunke, 39, who also is suspected of stealing packages earlier this month from Colbert-area homes.

Spokane police and the city of Spokane posted on Facebook that they’ve seen a “consistent rise” in package thefts from Spokane-area homes.

Spokane Police Officer Daniel Strassenberg said there were 98 package thefts reported in the city during the months of August through November 2023, compared with 154 package thefts reported in the city limits during the same four months of this year. Strassenberg said he couldn’t explain the uptick in thefts.

Amazon spokeswoman Alisa Carroll said customers should report Amazon package thefts to law enforcement and then contact Amazon’s customer service team. She said Amazon doesn’t have a uniform replacement or refund policy when it comes to addressing thefts. She said the company simply works to make it right for the customer.

“We just assist in the best way possible,” Carroll said. “Often times, that is replacing the item as soon as we can or refunding their money.”

Carroll offered several tips to try to ensure packages make it into the hands of customers.

She said customers can ask a delivery driver to hide their package, such as behind a porch planter.

Carroll noted Amazon Prime members also can specify a certain day to have items delivered, so they can ensure they’re home to receive the package. If they’re not home, those members can have packages delivered inside their garage through an app.

Tracking package information and sharing tracking details with loved ones, so they can pick up a package are other security measures. Carroll said sending packages to a convenient pickup location, like Amazon or a partner store, is another way to ensure the package is safe.

“I think there’s no shortage of ways that Amazon’s using its technology, kind of the built-in technology, in its app and the website to do everything that we can to ensure that that doorstep delivery makes it to the customer,” Carroll said.

Sending packages to trusted neighbors or family members who are home is another option to keep packages secure, said Cpl. Mark Gregory, spokesman at the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Gregory, Strassenberg and Carroll said home security cameras are a great idea to capture thieves in the act and deter them from committing the crime in the first place.

Security footage helped link Bunke to the suspected stolen property, Strassenberg said.

The sheriff’s office released photos from home security footage of who they believe to be Bunke and a black Jeep Rubicon he is accused of using to commit the thefts from Colbert homes between Dec. 1 and 5.

According to court documents, Spokane police officers were called Dec. 5 to Prairie Hills Apartments, 1718 E. Lincoln Road, after a man used a tracking device to locate his stolen electric bicycle at the apartment complex. Prior to tracking the bike to the apartments, he traced it earlier that day to another area of Spokane, according to court records.

There, he saw a man and a woman pulling his bike from inside a black Jeep and asked the man how long he had the bike, he told police. The man told the bike owner he had it for about 1½ years, but the victim told police the bike was stolen from his garage about a month ago.

The theft victim left the area to call the police and later tracked the bike at Prairie Hills Apartments, according to documents.

Police responded and found Bunke in a back bedroom closet. They found multiple parcels addressed to several people, none of whom were Bunke or anyone else known to reside at the apartment, according to documents. Officers found a black Jeep in the garage.

Investigators located several items, including merchandise believed to have been stolen during mail and package thefts in the Colbert area by Bunke, the sheriff’s office said.

Bunke was arrested and charged with suspicion of possession of stolen property and has since been released from jail after posting a $2,500 bond. Additional charges could be recommended by police and the sheriff’s office as the investigation continues and investigators sort through the stolen items.

Vehicle prowls can also be common this time of year as people leave gifts inside their cars.

Gregory said people should avoid leaving packages in cars, but if necessary, they should keep items out of view.

“They’re looking for opportunities, and if they see packages and so on, they take that as an opportunity,” Gregory said.

He encouraged people to report all thefts and suspicious activity, so investigators can piece evidence together and potentially link a suspect to multiple thefts. He said some information may not lead to an arrest that day, but it could be used later to connect a suspect to a crime.

“The more information we have the better, and the more we’ll be able to solve some of these,” Gregory said.

Gregory and Strassenberg said theft victims should report crimes to Crime Check at (509) 456-2233. Advise Crime Check of any video evidence.

Spokane police posts on its Facebook page security footage photos depicting potential suspects of package thefts.