Where should a camera go to catch package thieves?

At the entry to wherever parcels are kept, about 7 to 9 feet up, facing people as they walk in. Pair it with a wide camera showing the shelves or lockers. Avoid aiming cameras at individual residents' doors.

Are package lockers worth it for a small HOA?

If parcels currently sit in an open lobby or on doorsteps, a secure destination of some kind usually does more than adding cameras. Lockers, a locked room with logged access, or a staffed office all work; pick the one your carriers will actually use.

Can we put a camera on a resident's front door?

The association generally should not aim cameras at individual units. Residents may install their own doorbell cameras subject to your governing documents. Check with association counsel before setting rules.

How-to guides

How to protect an HOA or apartment community from package thieves

Package theft is a delivery-process problem first and a camera problem second. Shorten the time parcels sit unattended, control who can reach them, and put a face-height camera where the thief has to stand.

October 25, 2026VuePoint

Package thieves at multifamily properties are rarely sophisticated. They follow delivery trucks, walk through a propped door or an open gate, and take whatever is stacked in a lobby or on a stoop. The fix is to remove the easy pile, then make anyone who reaches the parcels show their face to a camera.

Start by mapping where packages actually end up

Spend a week noting where carriers leave parcels. Boards are often surprised: the official package room is used by one carrier, while another leaves boxes at the leasing office door, and gig drivers walk up to unit doors. Each of those drop points needs its own answer.

Drop point	Main risk	Better option
Lobby floor or mail area	Anyone who tailgates in can take a box	Locked package room or smart lockers
Unit doorsteps	Open breezeways and stairwells give easy access	Resident delivery instructions to lockers or the office; camera on breezeway entries, not on unit doors
Leasing office door after hours	Boxes sit outside overnight	After-hours drop box or carrier instruction to redeliver
Curb or gate	Visible from the street	Gate code or carrier access program so drivers can reach the secure area

A package-theft plan in seven steps

1
Give carriers one secure destination
A locked package room, smart lockers or a staffed office. Post clear delivery instructions at the entry and in the property's address notes with the major carriers. Every parcel that lands somewhere else is your exposure.
2
Control access to the package area
Use fobs or codes that log entries, not a shared key. Change shared codes on a schedule and after any theft. Carriers can be given time-limited codes or enrolled through their building-access programs where available.
3
Fix the doors first
Most thefts start with a propped or slow-closing door. Check closers and latches on every entry that leads to parcels. A door that does not latch on its own defeats every other step.
4
Put an identify camera at the package-room door
Mount it about 7 to 9 ft up, facing people as they walk in, with a narrow field of view. Add an overview camera inside the room showing the shelves. See how to position security cameras for angles and night glare.
5
Cover the approach, not the residents
Cameras belong on building entries, gates and breezeway entrances, not aimed at individual unit doors. Residents accept common-area coverage far more readily, and it is where the thief has to pass anyway.
6
Shorten dwell time
Set a pickup rule, for example parcels collected within a few days, and send notifications when items arrive if your lockers or software support it. Less inventory sitting overnight means less to steal.
7
Write down the incident process
Decide who pulls footage, how fast, and what residents get. Residents who report a theft should know what happens next. The process is in what to do after a security incident.

What residents need to hear

Where cameras are and what they cover, stated plainly. Common areas only.
Who can view footage and under what circumstances.
How to set delivery instructions so their parcels go to the secure location.
How to report a missing package and how quickly they should report it, since footage is only kept for a set period. See choosing recording retention.
That holding doors open for people they do not know defeats the system.

For the wider privacy conversation with residents, read apartment building security cameras: coverage, privacy and what tenants accept. For boards, HOA security monitoring covers governing-document and notice questions.

Signs you have the process right

Carriers are using the secure location without residents having to chase them.
Package-room doors close and latch on their own every time you test them.
When a theft is reported, staff can find the clip in minutes because they know which camera and roughly what time.
The face-height camera produces an image someone who knows the person could recognize.

Common questions

Where should a camera go to catch package thieves?: At the entry to wherever parcels are kept, about 7 to 9 feet up, facing people as they walk in. Pair it with a wide camera showing the shelves or lockers. Avoid aiming cameras at individual residents' doors.
Are package lockers worth it for a small HOA?: If parcels currently sit in an open lobby or on doorsteps, a secure destination of some kind usually does more than adding cameras. Lockers, a locked room with logged access, or a staffed office all work; pick the one your carriers will actually use.
Can we put a camera on a resident's front door?: The association generally should not aim cameras at individual units. Residents may install their own doorbell cameras subject to your governing documents. Check with association counsel before setting rules.

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