A politician from Bucks County is working to have a bill passed that would punish criminals for a new type of crime. Samuel O’Neal wrote about the bill for Penn Live.

Senator Frank Farry, a Republican from Bucks County, is sponsoring a bill that would crack down on “porch pirates”, those who steal packages from people’s properties. With the rise of e-commerce, this crime has become a new form of thievery that has cost Pennsylvanians an average of $43 per theft.

“Maybe if the crime had a little more bite to it and the charging had a little more bite to it, there would be both the deterrent component to it and also people would be paying the price for the crimes they are committing,” Farry said.

As of now, stealing a package delivered by the U.S. Postal Service is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $250,000 fine. As this is affecting consumers around the country, Farry is confident that the bill will see bipartisan support.

Read more about Farry’s involvement in the bill at Penn Live.

_____