Have you had any problems with porch pirates? I've only had one incidence that I know of. My front door is quite exposed and so now I have any labels that I fill out first start with "please deliver to side door only, before my name. I also have a number of signs in my front, saying" do not deposit packages here." In another sign with a, big red arrow saying "please deposit side door". Then on my side door I have another side saying please place any packages in the store which is an unlocked door to my foyer area which that door going into the house is locked. I of course realize that a thief can read the signs also but I think it's more intimidating for them to walk around to the side door and open up etc. not knowing that there could be someone there more than just grabbing a package off the front.

However, I still get delivery people occasionally leaving things out in the front or not putting them into the side door. I think on my front door I have three signs that say "leave no packages here" but sometimes they leave a package right on top of one of the signs.

Some of my neighbors have had more problems than I have. In some of these thieves have gotten pretty good at what they do. How fast they can get to the front door and back into their car. Or sometimes just dressed as a delivery person. One neighbor said that one of these people came up with a package which they left on their doorstep and took another package way. The package that they left had nothing of value in it, but used just a tool to look like the delivery person was legitimate.

Here:

UPS delivers to the exact address line. If I say "2nd floor" they will haul it all up to my second floor. If I say "1st Floor" that's where it gets left, tucked under the deck out of the weather as much as possible. If I happen to see them, very pleasant. ALL their drivers.

Fed Ex will deliver anywhere it pleases, including all around our house at any door or window. Or a neighbor's, or nowhere. They also ask for help lugging packages if they happen to see me. No, sorry, bad back, can't help. That's why I ordered it delivered. Just the worst.

Ring doorbell cameras.

Deliver to store where you pick up.

Deliver to a neighbor who is retired, and give the neighbor a tip. ( Or help neighbor out in some way, like yard work.)

Deliver to your office, if you have one.

Build a bench to sir by the front door, with space behind for packages to sit.

Get an oversized mailbox, like rural routes use, then get postal delivery .

Just some ideas.

I haven't had any porch pirate theft; I think some of my tenants have. The larger mailbox I am going to switch over to eventually on rentals. I had to take the small, on-the-house letterbox off at one rental while we redid the front porch. I set up a post mailbox over near the kitchen door, right by tenant's preferred parking spot. Wish I had thought to pick up the oversized mailbox. Those things have shot up in price! Tenant commented that the new post mailbox is very convenient, and since mail fits in it entirely, no papers sticking out, no one else can see mail at a glance. Tenant now checks mail as soon as gets out of car, before going in.

Big box with lock- I hadn't thought of that. One could simply hang a padlock on a sturdy hasp, leaving it open. Hopefully package delivery persons would take a moment to close the lock.

First line of defense is to live in a low crime area. It helps if you and your neighbors support the local police.

It might help if everyone in the neighborhood owns guns and knows how to use them.

As you say,..it probably depends on where you live,but shooting a porch pirate would be considered a state matter,..not a local police matter. Also civil suits from relatives, that could go on for years and if nothing else the legal bill would kill you. and that's if a jury didn't find you guilty of shooting a person "just" stealing a package.

Think usually in the past a neighborhood would handle something like this in a get together (pre diversity) and a couple of guys would get masks and set out a bait box. When the porch pirate shows up, it is baseball bat time! Used to hear of blanket parties in the past - roll the unpopular mark in a blanket then he got a baseball bat massage . . .

I have a P.O. box for business purposes, and used the USPS's policy to allow items delivered to the post office address for all packages for a while. But then I started to see that Amazon and UPS would leave packages inside the unlocked lobby or even outside of the post office after hours, ripe for theft.