It sucks to have your packages stolen from outside of your home. The problem is so bad that these thieves have a name: Porch Pirates. Well, police in Jersey City are using a new method to try and catch package thieves. They’re putting fake Amazon boxes outside people’s homes with cameras and GPS in order to catch them.
Police use doorbell cameras and GPS trackers provided by Amazon to track and capture the thieves. These operations are targeting the most at-risk areas in the city that have been identified from Amazon’s theft reports and crime data.
The operation seems to be going well. In one scenario, the package was only on someone’s front porch for three minutes before a thief picked it up. Police later apprehended the suspect but it’s unclear what that person was charged with.
Word about these sting operations is now out, so that is certainly a deterrent on its own. The program is currently limited to the homes of Jersey City police department members who volunteered to take part in it. Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly told The Associated Press that he wants to see it expand now that it has also received approval by a municipal prosecutor after a legal review. Beware, thieves.
Source Ubergizmo
Filed Under: Technology News