Should people get them?
It's difficult to estimate how often packages are stolen off porches, given that many people just report the missing package to the online retailer rather than call the police.
Based on a survey of 1,000 people, InsuranceQuotes.com estimated in 2017 that 8 percent of Americans — 26 million people — have had holiday packages stolen from their porches.
Local police departments have a hard time getting too specific, simply saying there have been “major increases” in porch theft during the holiday season.
The effectiveness of porch and doorbell camera systems are spoken of in just as general — but overwhelmingly positive — terms.
“Absolutely, surveillance cameras have resulted in positive impact in solving crimes over the last few years,” Allentown police Capt. Bill Lake said.
Allentown police are circulating images of a porch thief who struck in the city's South Side throughout early December. The still images were captured from a resident's porch camera.
DiLuzio recounted catching decoration thieves and vandals, and even license plate numbers of porch thieves' getaway cars.
Of those cases in which the homeowner had some sort of camera, DiLuzio said, the footage most of the time played a critical role in catching the thief.
“Most of them are guilty pleas because they know they're not going to argue with their face,” he said.
Kramm said she believes her Nest Cam acts as a deterrent to crime.
“The first thing people do when they walk up to my porch is notice the camera,” she said. “Their facial expression changes — it's funny to watch.”
The Bethlehem Police Department urged its residents in a Facebook post to consider investing in cameras and porch monitoring systems. DiLuzio said he owns one.