One of the more annoying realities of ordering online is that if your package is left somewhere conspicuous before you\u2019re able to grab it, there\u2019s a good possibility some opportunistic bandit will nab it. This certainly goes for Amazon packages, for which reports of theft are a dime a dozen. And anyone who\u2019s ever lost a package to theft can attest to the fact that it\u2019s not only a huge<\/b>
\nOne of the more annoying realities of ordering online is that if your package is left somewhere conspicuous before you\u2019re able to grab it, there\u2019s a good possibility some opportunistic bandit will nab it. This certainly goes for Amazon packages, for which reports of theft are a dime a dozen. And anyone who\u2019s ever lost a package to theft can attest to the fact that it\u2019s not only a huge bummer but can be a giant headache to report.
New Jersey has evidently had enough. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Amazon is working with local law enforcement in Jersey City on a sting for identifying would-be package bandits. The project uses doorbell cameras and planted dummy packages equipped with tracking devices to catch porch thieves in the act:
Amazon is reportedly supplying free equipment to the department for the sting operation. An Amazon spokesperson declined to provide further information about how it was aiding the program.
\u201cWe appreciate the increased effort by local law enforcement to tackle package theft and remain committed to assisting however we can,\u201d the spokesperson told Gizmodo by email. A representative for the Jersey City Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
As the Associated Press noted, similar programs have been implemented in other cities. Using GPS tracking around this time last year, police in Edina, Minnesota planted a bait package disguised as a laptop box to catch a thief who swiped it from a front porch. Plenty of other cities, like Elk Grove near Sacramento in California, are getting in on sting operations as well. The Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico also recently implemented a bait package program.
\u201cWe want to get these guys into custody and make them aware that we\u2019re out there looking for them,\u201d Officer Simon Drobik of the Albuquerque Police Department told local CBS and Fox affiliate KRQE of the sting.
Additionally, Amazon has its own methods for weeding out thieves. Citing sources with knowledge of the company\u2019s internal practice, Business Insider reported in September that the company plants dummy parcels with delivery drivers to see if they\u2019ll be stolen. An unnamed former Amazon logistics manager told the site the practice was intended to be \u201ca trap… to check the integrity of the driver.\u201d
Police and delivery stings seem as good a reason as any to try to be decent this holiday season. Just, you know, leave other people\u2019s stuff alone.
[ Associated Press]<\/p>\n