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walkitoutOn Christmas, I got an fb message from K. saying their mail had been stolen and a gift certificate I'd sent for her daughter was among the casualties. delia's, sensibly, had closed their customer service call center for Xmas, so I sent them email; I haven't heard back yet.
It wasn't an isolated event, either. Whoever did this went through the neighborhood and stole and opened packages and letters and left trash all over the neighborhood, prompting me, in my busybody way, to halfheartedly suggest turning it over to the cops on the off chance they can use it to prosecute someone. Then I got to thinking. Is this a Thing?
It is a Thing. And the perpetrators are not bright.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57560533-504083/ups-driver-caught-on-video-stealing-christmas-gift-in-texas/
Really? Losing a UPS job over an iPad mini (never mind the social humiliation, fine and possible jail time)? Mind you, kind of clever to make it look like FedEx screwed up, because in the universe of plausible stories, a FedEx driver fucking up (stealing, losing, lying about a delivery, misdelivering a package) is _far_ more plausible than a later-in-the-day UPS driver stealing the package which is sitting there. Alas, security camera. Wow.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-01/news/chi-offduty-cop-nabs-man-stealing-christmas-mail-20121201_1_mail-truck-police-officer-police-radio
A couple of guys with a black SUV toss some concrete through the window of a postal van to steal its contents. Off duty cop watches them, then calls in a description. Radio waves are faster than speeding vehicles -- but foot chases suck so one got away. For a while, anyway.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252683/WATCH-Video-catches-thieves-stealing-Christmas-gifts-door-home-security-expert.html
UK coverage of a Puyallup theft -- of a personalized Seahawks jersey, size 4X. But it was part of a pattern, so I'm sure they got other more worthwhile things. Will the "fell off the back of the truck" story in the future reflect people driving around in SUVs robbing front doors? That Amazon Locker feature is looking smarter by the day.
http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/184509481.html
Summary of some of the above and not particularly helpful advice about how to deal with the problem.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/Man-accused-of-stealing-Christmas-gifts-from-youth-group/-/121458/17870784/-/c6iwbuz/-/index.html
Really, I do not know what to think of people who steal _Bibles_ from a Christmas tree pile for a youth group at a church.
http://www.king5.com/news/crime/Christmas-mail-money-stolen-182852651.html
Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, some juvenile delinquents (literally!) doing exactly what happened to my friends.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/watercooler/thieves-caught-on-camera-stealing-christmas-presents
Not mail -- this was a house break-in to steal presents.
I suppose this is all less heartbreaking than, say, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl. But still. Depressing.
It wasn't an isolated event, either. Whoever did this went through the neighborhood and stole and opened packages and letters and left trash all over the neighborhood, prompting me, in my busybody way, to halfheartedly suggest turning it over to the cops on the off chance they can use it to prosecute someone. Then I got to thinking. Is this a Thing?
It is a Thing. And the perpetrators are not bright.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57560533-504083/ups-driver-caught-on-video-stealing-christmas-gift-in-texas/
Really? Losing a UPS job over an iPad mini (never mind the social humiliation, fine and possible jail time)? Mind you, kind of clever to make it look like FedEx screwed up, because in the universe of plausible stories, a FedEx driver fucking up (stealing, losing, lying about a delivery, misdelivering a package) is _far_ more plausible than a later-in-the-day UPS driver stealing the package which is sitting there. Alas, security camera. Wow.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-01/news/chi-offduty-cop-nabs-man-stealing-christmas-mail-20121201_1_mail-truck-police-officer-police-radio
A couple of guys with a black SUV toss some concrete through the window of a postal van to steal its contents. Off duty cop watches them, then calls in a description. Radio waves are faster than speeding vehicles -- but foot chases suck so one got away. For a while, anyway.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252683/WATCH-Video-catches-thieves-stealing-Christmas-gifts-door-home-security-expert.html
UK coverage of a Puyallup theft -- of a personalized Seahawks jersey, size 4X. But it was part of a pattern, so I'm sure they got other more worthwhile things. Will the "fell off the back of the truck" story in the future reflect people driving around in SUVs robbing front doors? That Amazon Locker feature is looking smarter by the day.
http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/184509481.html
Summary of some of the above and not particularly helpful advice about how to deal with the problem.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/Man-accused-of-stealing-Christmas-gifts-from-youth-group/-/121458/17870784/-/c6iwbuz/-/index.html
Really, I do not know what to think of people who steal _Bibles_ from a Christmas tree pile for a youth group at a church.
http://www.king5.com/news/crime/Christmas-mail-money-stolen-182852651.html
Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, some juvenile delinquents (literally!) doing exactly what happened to my friends.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/watercooler/thieves-caught-on-camera-stealing-christmas-presents
Not mail -- this was a house break-in to steal presents.
I suppose this is all less heartbreaking than, say, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl. But still. Depressing.