CDNews reader KC forwarded us this email from a local list, originally from a resident near MLK & Cherry:
I just wanted to post this to warn others, but on March 16th a UPS package was taken from the front porch.
I wouldn’t have thought too much about it until today when another packace from amazon was delivered – and OPENED!
These were only diaper wipes in large quantities, but someone came onto the porch today opened the amazon box – left my book, but took the wipes!
CDNews strongly recommends you send your valuable packages to your place of employment instead of home.
on Marion – around Xmas….
After last thanksgiving my cousins sent me a shirt I had left at their house in Portland. The box was left on my step behind a gate. Someone had cracked it open and realized that the contents was pretty boring. I no longer have packaged delivered to my house unless I’m home.
happened around xmas a couple of years ago. one package was 3 big filters — someone doing some landscaping found them in the bushes still in the box and actually dropped them off at our house about a month later. Unfortunately my sleeping bag was never to be seen again…
We reported the packages as stolen and all of the goods were replaced. But now, UPS refuses to leave packages without a signature, so we spend a lot of time just holding packages and driving down to UPS to pick them up (work delivery isn’t an option).
Definitely report the loss to UPS — they will investigate and ultimately pay for replacement. I think it also makes the drivers aware not to leave packages in open spots if possible, although in our case i think someone saw the UPS driver and immediately took the packages, as we were home less then 30 min after delivery.
We had a package stolen on March 17 and another on March 19, same week as in the original post… hopefully this is a short-lived problem.
I live a half block from MLK and Cherry. I think a package of raspberry canes was stolen from my porch earlier this week. And a big package of tea was stolen a year or so ago.
How about we organize a sting, and leave a package on a porch under surveillance? Or is that not a good way to address this issue? I suppose it could escalate into a really bad situation. But it would be gratifying to catch these A-holes in the act.
I live at 25th & Jefferson and in the last two weeks have had a heavy, medium sized, water fountain stolen from my yard, right next to my porch.(Featured a girl kneeling with her hands cupped to catch water from a fish in case you see it:) Then two days later, my mail person had put two packages inside my screen door because they didn’t fit in the mail slot. I was looking for the packages so when the mail dropped through the slot but not the packages, I opened the door and apparently caught someone in the act of stealing them because they dropped them down my steps. I didn’t see anyone and I checked with the carrier and she confirmed she had placed them in the screen. BTW I am usually at home all day. This sucks!
Please make sure to call the cops about all these. The crime rate data won’t adjust to show the change in criminal behavior if we don’t do our part – and if the stats don’t alter, additional help will not be allocated.
Spiffy D: the vigilante idea is great: just use electronic means rather than put yourself in harm’s way: set up nanny cams to get the person’s face on tape, then share with police. Then, if you really want to nip it in the bud: you can embarrass the hell out of them by xeroxing their face and posting it on every telephone pole in the neighborhood.
“DO YOU KNOW THIS
petty criminal & fool thief?
Oh.
Sorry to hear that”
You might consider Post Options, 1122 East Pike St. I’ve been using them for years, it’s two bucks for them to receive your package for you. Make sure there’s a phone number on your delivery address and they will phone when the package arrives.
Leave a box out with really big rat traps, the type that can take fingers off. Fill box with foam peanuts, add 3 traps, close and sleep well knowing some uninsured SOB is at the hospital trying to get his fingers reattached.
Are some of those paint-bomb things they use to rig bank bags.
That would be frickin’ awesome.
In Ballard they caught a thief on camera. Sweet.
http://www.myballard.com/2010/01/29/security-camera-catches-
If you don’t see video there, look here: http://vimeo.com/9049253
I think the video in these links work, but my STUPID SLOW INTERNET CONNECTION won’t load them! Grrr!!
Yep — we’ve had fedex/ups deliver a number of packages to our address for things we haven’t ordered. Normally its packages from Sprint/Horizon — phones and the like ordered and sent to our address. They’ll typically look on-line to see when the package will be delivered and hang out on the corner waiting for the truck.
My wife and I each had a package stolen that was delivered and left on our front porch. One was an expensive tankless water heater. Fortunately UPS covered the replacement and we got them each reshipped, although now I usually have stuff delivered to work instead, which is unfortunate but necessary. Didn’t realize there was a spree going on until I found this on the blog.