(KGTV) - Porch pirates beware: A proposed bill could mean jail time for package thieves in California.
Under the proposed Assembly Bill 1210, anyone stealing a package from a home could be charged with a misdemeanor that includes a jail sentence of up to one year. A felony charge would result in a jail term of 16 months to three years.
AB 1210, introduced by state Assemblyman Evan Low (D-28), covers packages that are “shipped through the mail or delivered by a public or private carrier" and applies to packages delivered to a porch, doorstep, patio, stoop, driveway, hallway or enclosed yard.
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The proposal of the bill comes at a time when many Californians are reporting incidents in which package deliveries are stolen from their homes, with much of the thefts being captured on surveillance cameras.
The current California law states: “A person who enters a house, room, apartment, or other specified structure, with intent to commit larceny or any felony, is guilty of burglary in the first or 2nd degree, as specified. Burglary in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years, and burglary in the 2nd degree is punishable as a misdemeanor by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or as a felony by imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years.”
