Neighborhood Puts Decoy Packages on Doorsteps to Deter Thieves


(Photo: CBS News)

It's a simple and common crime: a parcel delivery serivce leaves a package on the doorstep of a home for the resident. A thief drives by, jumps out of his car, grabs the package, and runs.

That's how your Christmas presents get stolen.

This crime has frustrated residents of the Daybreak community of South Jordan, Utah. They've come up with a clever solution: they put fake packages on their doorsteps. The boxes are filled with junk or rocks. When the thieves open their loot, they find that they've wasted their time. Kroger Menzer, a resident of Daybreak, explained the strategy to KSL News:

"The goal isn't to catch them in the act, that's for the police," said Menzer. "The goal is to make it confusing and frustrating. So they come and steal a box, and they get home and it's a bunch of rocks, there's a good chance that they're probably not going to come back to steal another box."

It's a strategy that works best when a large number of residents--ideally most of them--are participating.

-via Oddity Central


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I happen to have surveillance cameras on my property, now. I never thought I would need them but, being in a rural area, I had people who thought walking on my land was A-Okay, and it was NOT okay to just trespass on other peoples' property! I even had someone think it was fine to cut down the rope that held bird feeders with a razor. After we installed cameras we never, ever had another incident.
I just don't understand why some people think it's just fine to do whatever they want to do on somebody else's land. I know these perps would be outraged if I showed up in the middle of the night to do something on their property they would find objectionable. THINK, people! Would you want someone invading your property? Of course not! So don't do it to others!
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