The shopping bags are piling up. Delivery trucks roll through Memphis neighborhoods all day long, dropping off Amazon boxes and Walmart orders on porches from Cordova to Whitehaven. And every year around this time, the thieves come out.
Memphis has a porch pirate problem. That’s not a secret to anyone who’s lived here longer than one holiday season. What’s changed in 2019 is the scale. Ring doorbell cameras and Nest cams have given residents a front-row seat to what’s happening on their porches while they’re at work, and the footage flooding neighborhood Facebook groups tells a clear story: package theft is getting worse, not better.
The Numbers Behind the Problem
The Memphis Police Department reported over 18,000 property crimes in the first three quarters of 2019. Burglaries and thefts make up the bulk of that total, and the holiday months of November and December have historically pushed those numbers even higher. Shelby County saw a slight dip in overall property crime compared to 2018, yet specific categories like theft from vehicles and porch package theft trended upward.
Nationally, about 36% of Americans reported having a package stolen from their doorstep in 2019, according to a survey from C+R Research. Memphis, given its higher-than-average property crime rate, likely exceeds that figure.
Where It’s Happening
If you’re in Cordova, you’ve probably already seen the posts in the Cordova Community Facebook group. The subdivisions near Germantown Parkway and Macon Road have been hit repeatedly this fall. Thieves work fast: they follow delivery trucks, wait for the driver to leave, then grab boxes off porches within minutes.
Germantown has seen less porch theft overall, partly because of the Germantown Police Department’s aggressive patrol presence and the town’s lower crime density. Still, residents near Poplar Pike and Forest Hill-Irene Road have reported incidents. The Germantown PD sent out a community alert in November reminding homeowners to track packages and request signature-required delivery when possible.
Bartlett sits somewhere in the middle. The city’s police department ran a “Lock It or Lose It” campaign this fall, focused on vehicle break-ins and package theft. Officers set up extra patrol routes through subdivisions near Stage Road and Bartlett Boulevard during peak delivery hours.
In the city of Memphis proper, the hardest-hit areas include Hickory Hill, Raleigh, and parts of Frayser. These neighborhoods deal with higher property crime rates year-round, and the holidays only amplify the problem.
What MPD Is Doing About It
The Memphis Police Department has ramped up its holiday enforcement operations, though details remain somewhat general. Director Michael Rallings confirmed in a late November press conference that MPD would increase patrols in shopping corridors and residential areas throughout December.
The department’s Real Time Crime Center, located on Civic Center Plaza downtown, continues to monitor surveillance cameras across the city. MPD has also partnered with retail locations along Poplar Avenue and in the Wolfchase area to position officers near high-traffic shopping centers.
One initiative that’s gotten attention this year: MPD is encouraging residents to register their home security cameras through the SafeCam program. The idea is straightforward. If a crime happens near your home, police can request footage from registered cameras instead of going door-to-door asking for it. It’s voluntary, and MPD says the program has already helped close several cases in East Memphis and Midtown.
Residential Burglary Patterns
Package theft grabs headlines, yet residential burglaries remain the more serious concern during the holidays. Memphis averages around 8,000 burglaries per year, and the holiday season creates prime conditions for break-ins.
Here’s why. Families travel. Houses sit empty for days or weeks. Holiday gifts pile up inside living rooms visible through windows. Garages get left open because people are loading cars in a rush. The patterns are predictable, and so are the prevention strategies.
MPD crime data from previous years shows that most residential burglaries in Memphis happen between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. Burglars prefer empty homes, and that window covers the hours when most people are at work. During the holidays, evening burglaries increase because homes sit dark and obviously unoccupied while families attend parties or travel.
The most common entry point? Unlocked doors. It sounds too simple to be true, and yet MPD officers will tell you that a large percentage of residential burglaries in Memphis involve no forced entry at all. People leave side doors unlocked, garage doors open, or sliding glass doors unlatched.
Practical Steps That Actually Work
I’ve talked to enough MPD officers and private security professionals over the years to know which advice is worth repeating and which is filler. Here’s what actually makes a difference:
Stop advertising your absence. Don’t post vacation photos on social media until you’re back home. It sounds obvious. People still do it constantly.
Use light timers, not just porch lights. A single porch light burning 24 hours a day signals nobody’s home just as clearly as total darkness. Put interior lights on timers so they switch on and off at realistic intervals. Smart plugs from brands like Wyze or TP-Link cost about $10 each and work with your phone.
Get your packages delivered somewhere safe. Amazon Locker locations exist at several Memphis spots, including the Kroger on Union Avenue and the Whole Foods on Poplar. You can also ship to your workplace if your employer allows it. FedEx and UPS both offer free hold-at-location options.
Talk to your neighbors. This one costs nothing. If you’re leaving town, tell a neighbor you trust. Ask them to grab your mail, pick up any packages, and park in your driveway occasionally. Neighborhood Watch programs in Memphis have declined in recent years, which is a shame because informal watchfulness still works.
Don’t leave valuables visible. Close your blinds and curtains, especially in rooms facing the street. If someone can see a 65-inch TV box sitting in your living room from the sidewalk, you’ve given them a reason to try the door.
Lock your car. Every time. Vehicle break-ins spike during the holidays because people leave shopping bags and wrapped gifts on car seats. Memphis PD reported over 10,000 vehicle break-ins in 2018, and 2019 is tracking at a similar pace. The Wolfchase Galleria parking lot, Oak Court Mall, and the Carrefour at Kirby Woods shopping center are frequent targets.
What About Security Systems?
Home security cameras have dropped in price dramatically. A basic Wyze Cam costs around $25 and records to the cloud. Ring doorbells run between $100 and $250 depending on the model. These aren’t replacements for common sense, yet they do serve two purposes: deterrence and evidence.
The deterrence factor is real. A study from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte found that about 60% of convicted burglars said the presence of a security system or camera influenced their decision to target a different home.
For residents who want professional monitoring, Memphis has several local security companies that offer residential packages. I’d recommend getting quotes from at least three providers before signing anything. Contract lengths vary wildly, from month-to-month to three-year commitments, and cancellation fees can be steep.
Church and Community Safety
The holidays also bring increased activity at Memphis churches, synagogues, and community centers. December means Christmas pageants, candlelight services, and community meals, all of which draw large crowds to buildings that may not have strong security measures in place.
After the 2019 shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas, many Memphis congregations have taken a harder look at their security preparations. Some churches in the Germantown and Collierville areas have hired off-duty officers or contracted with private security firms to provide armed presence during holiday services.
Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, one of the largest congregations in the Memphis metro area, has maintained an internal security team for years. Smaller churches, though, often lack the budget for trained security personnel. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has offered free security assessments for houses of worship, and several dozen Memphis-area churches took them up on the offer this fall.
A Bigger Picture
Memphis ended 2018 with 184 homicides. Through the first eleven months of 2019, the city was already approaching 180, which means December’s final count will likely push the total above last year’s number. Property crime, while down slightly in some categories, remains stubbornly high.
None of this is reason to panic. Memphis is a city of nearly 700,000 people, and the vast majority of residents will get through the holidays without incident. That said, a little preparation goes a long way. Lock your doors. Watch your packages. Know your neighbors. Pay attention.
The holidays should be about family and rest and good food, not filing a police report. Take twenty minutes this week to walk through the checklist above. It won’t make Memphis crime-free, and nobody’s promising that. What it will do is make your home a harder target, and in this city, that matters more than most people realize.
Marcus Johnson covers crime and public safety for Memphis Security Insider. He can be reached at marcus@memphissecurityinsider.com.