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Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

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Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#471

Post by jackhack »

learc83 wrote: post #370
ineedasername wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't take a lot of risk to offset the "value" of stealing $950 labeled-worth goods (which will net you If you're trying to say the risk isn't worth it, sure, you're right. And the average person wouldn't do it. But plenty of criminals don't live their lives by such risk/reward calculations. Roughly 5% [0] of people in prison in the US have decided to disregard the risk/reward ratio and go ahead with relatively…

The question though is would that 5% react to increased punishment. The studies done on raising felony theft thresholds indicate that they don't.

Thus the reasoning behind the "three strikes and you're out" laws which call for mandatory prison sentencing for habitual criminals.

Some will not be dissuaded from crime. The rest of us deserve to live apart from them.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#472

Post by kirykl »

shaftway wrote: post #390
tivert wrote: post #256

If you're concerned about package thieves, just buy an outdoor cabinet and put it next to your door with a note asking that packages be placed in it. I use an Ikea Josef: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/outdoo... You don't even need a lock for it. If you can get the deliverymen to consistently place packages in it, the thieves will have no idea if there's actually a package at your door to steal…

Yeah, we had a package stolen off our porch, so we did that. It's a bench with a liftable top. The plan was to put a padlock on it. All of our packages are addressed to: Shaftway Place in Bench - Code 1234 24601 Where I Live St. My City, ST, ZipZipZip We order a lot of stuff, and probably average 3 deliveries per day. In the last 3 months we've had exactly one package placed in the bench. And we never even got around…

Train them with a small post it note + incentive small candy

"Carrier Service - Place package in box, take a candy, and remove this note."

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#473

Post by myrryr »

SCAQTony wrote: post #458

Is this even legal or safe to have a glitter "bomb," or more accurately, a spinning motor spraying glue if an accomplice opens the package within a moving car? How about just a GPS signal to notify cops. The glitter stuff and chemical spray is probably a civil liability as well.

> How about just a GPS signal to notify cops.

Which would work if the cops cared about it at all... Which leads to the glitter bomb being created....

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#474

Post by illegalsmile »

stingraycharles wrote: post #224
Rainymood wrote: post #16

I'm honestly really shocked by how casually people seem to steal these parcels, like what the hell?

As a European, I'm surprised that the postal services in the US just leave the packages outside, rather than ringing the doorbell and/or delivering it to a neighbor. Over here in The Netherlands, pickup points are common (my local groceries store is one), you can choose your delivery time (also in the evening) and they will deliver it to a neighbor when I'm not home. Why not avoid this whole problem with any of these…

Any important package I have delivered to work.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#475

Post by [deleted] »

Strilanc wrote: post #411
bovermyer wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One fun psychological hack for this - paint an eye above or on said locker. This is backed by research. For example: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-22270052

This is one of the psychology results that failed to replicate [1] in the replication crisis [2]. [1]: Artificial surveillance cues do not increase generosity: two meta-analyses https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109051381... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis

[deleted]

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#476

Post by dr_orpheus »

shaftway wrote: post #390
tivert wrote: post #256

If you're concerned about package thieves, just buy an outdoor cabinet and put it next to your door with a note asking that packages be placed in it. I use an Ikea Josef: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/outdoo... You don't even need a lock for it. If you can get the deliverymen to consistently place packages in it, the thieves will have no idea if there's actually a package at your door to steal…

Yeah, we had a package stolen off our porch, so we did that. It's a bench with a liftable top. The plan was to put a padlock on it. All of our packages are addressed to: Shaftway Place in Bench - Code 1234 24601 Where I Live St. My City, ST, ZipZipZip We order a lot of stuff, and probably average 3 deliveries per day. In the last 3 months we've had exactly one package placed in the bench. And we never even got around…

I have had good experiences with people delivering packages and caring about how obvious it is that there are packages out. When I lived a row of townhouses, the front doors of the houses were very exposed and visible from the street. So if we didn't answer the door when a package was delivered, they would bring it around to our back porch and set it over the fence.

However, this did result in one of the delivery drivers not correctly counting how many from the end our townhouse was and put it on the wrong porch...

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#477

Post by dwighttk »

kawfey wrote: post #228
rdtsc wrote: post #173

This needs careful consideration if you ever decide to do it. Depending on the local criminal culture they could exact revenge. Then also know where you live and can do a lot worse things than taking a package. Police might later be involved but it might not be worth it. You are dealing with people who have no qualms stealing so it's not too crazy to expect other rash and illegal acts from them. I can also see some i…

I learned from Nextdoor, that a neighbor of mine put cat litter in an amazon box, and later found out her car's driver side window busted in and the litter dumped on the seat. I now just have packages sent to lockers and UPS/FedEX access points, and I know a few who have packages delivered to their office. The crappy part is that she captured clear detail of both events but police couldn't be bothered. Nest and Ring…

>but there's still a ways to go before security camera footage can be sent to the PD and automatically identify the offender via facial analysis.

Good.

I'm against theft, and also against Police and facial analysis mixing.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#478

Post by mmcwilliams »

LanceH wrote: post #430
mmcwilliams wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not entirely accurate. It depends on where you are and what the video camera is recording. I'm also not sure that creating a hoax device with the intention of surreptitiously recording individuals that also damages their property and releases a chemical agent would be considered strictly "a security camera".

I'm not sure you have an expectation of privacy with stolen goods. Booby traps causing injury are illegal everywhere. Calling a smell a "chemical agent" is just inflammatory. Everything is a chemical, sure, but there is no chemical reaction involved here. Would you call perfume a "chemical agent"? It's just something that smells bad. The only danger would seem to be getting glitter in their eyes.

My intention isn't to be inflammatory, but booby-trapping an aerosol spray can to release a spray designed to make someone uncomfortable just isn't a smart thing to do. Even if you think you're getting one over on a thief.

If someone designed a trap to spray perfume on an unsuspecting person, I would describe it similarly.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#479

Post by 0xfeba »

Jyaif wrote: post #308
netsharc wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having lived in a "3rd world" country, I know the police there is useless, but it's interesting how things like resource issues (not enough manpower) is slowly turning living standards of rich countries like the US and UK towards "3rd world" levels.

Robbers and burglers basically have immunity now because the police is busy with... I'm not sure what.

Depends wildly on the area, but property crimes rarely go about a 20% clear rate. That is, 80% of the time criminals get away with it.

Some areas even murder is 60%.

A healthy society keeps people from committing crimes, not a giant police force.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#480

Post by mcv »

frogpelt wrote: post #244
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it seems oddly ironic that a proportionately harmless response to a thief (caught in the act) would be more likely to see prosecution than the act of theft itself. In certain jurisdictions the ideological pendulum (closely followed by official public policy) has swung a little too far toward idea that criminals have no agency and are victims of an unfair system that forces them to commit crime to get by and that pr…

I believe your point is based on a false premise: that people commit crime because they don't see a better option. A lot of times people commit crime for the same reasons they eat unhealthy, fight with their family members, and get addicted to harmful behavior. They aren't thinking long term and they don't care about the consequences that much. There is no political or economic system that you can design that will ke…

There are different reasons why people commit crimes. Some do out of need: they don't see a better option. Others do so out of opportunity: it's easy and they can get away with it. And I suppose a rare group does it out of a commitment to pure evil.

I have very different degrees of sympathy for these groups. The first group needs access to better options. The second group needs to be held accountable. The third group cannot really be allowed to participate in our society.

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