Mannyman's Ghetto Set-up

[cmhardwick]

Not anymore. It used to be a given that FedEx required a signature. Now it's the opposite, the sender has to specify that a signature is required.

Instances like this, plus the fact that often what i'm ordering requires a signature, is why I have tech items delivered to my office. They don't mind where I work if we do this, thankfully!

[bmblank]

Not every package requires a signature. The sender can ask for a signature for proof of that it made it there, but other than that they usually don't need it. It would really screw those of us who work all day over. I'd hate to have to take a day off work to recieve a package.

[Mannyman]

Update:
The thief came back!!

We were expecting more packages last week so we left a letter sized note taped to the front door, asking the delivery guy not to drop off packages.

I have new footage of him on camera 1 but he must have stopped short of activating camera2.

This tells me the guy is local.

I think it's time to try my gps tracker idea, plus I'll have a maglite in hand as well.

Boost mobile i415 from Target $29.99 + data cable $10.00 bucks.
Free Mologogo software and I have a cheap GPS tracker.
Send myself a FedEx package as a decoy.
Hope the thief does it again.

Do you remember the movie Pulp Fiction where Travolta's character said that if he could catch the guy who keyed his car it would have been worth the damage caused...

Decoys are fun.
I had somebody stealing my paper every other morning last year, until I filled a delivery bag with an old paper and dog shit.

[cygnusaa]

I bet XLobby can fire off a Tazer somehow.

/plot

[scottw]

You should put one of those dye packs that the banks use, so when he opens the box it will explode in his face. Then it's just a matter of finding the "purple guy" on your block .

Looks like you reeled him in but with an expensive package, now it's time to have some fun with him.


Please keep us posted, I am excited to see what happens.

EDIT: Oh, one more rattlesnakes!!!!!!!

[Mannyman]

I'M A FREAKIN IDIOT!!!!

I had the Boost Mobile GPS tracker ready and tested.
Placed it in a box (bit bigger than a shoe box) with newspaper and put the box into a recently delivered DHL bag.

I was home all day ducking from the front windows so as not to be seen from out side.
I put on some steel toed boots, shin guards, and a cup I have from kick boxing.

By 2pm I was about to give it up and try again on Monday.

I heard a car pull up, and someone get out, I caught a glimpse from the den and started making my way to the front door, with a maglite in hand.

In all the excitement, my adrenalin rush made me forget about the GPS.
TOO SOON!!
I opened the front door while he was still 2 feet away from the package.

Once again:
I'M A FREAKIN IDIOT!!!!

This guy had a goat-tee. I wasn't sure if it was the same guy.

He was completely caught off guard and started babbling about some guy he knew who used to live at my house before me (my neighbors later confirmed that there was only a little old lady here for the last fifteen years.) He said that he lived just around the corner from me. That his name is Richard Parker.

I followed him to his car casually.

I still had the mag-lite in hand (so I guess I wasn't that casual)and with other I was trying to get my camera phone out of my pocket. I used the pretense of bringing in the recycle bin. As he was leaving I saw boxes in his back seat (he may have just robbed some other people.) I check the picture I snapped and it was all black, stupid fat fingers. He waves as he drives off.

Screw it!
I run inside and get in my car. I'm telling myself I'm not paranoid, that he was after the decoy.
I start looking for him around all the winding roads and dead ends that are "right around the corner", and nothing.
I head back to my street and there he was to my left. I hit the gas and he knows I'm tailing him.
He slows down and rolls down his window, and I yell out "Show me your ID!"
He says that he told me the truth about who he was and what he was doing. We've stopped traffic but I don't care.
I bluff and say, "Don't make me pull out my gun."
"You have a gun?" he asks.
"and it's licensed, baby!", I answer.
(Note: I know I sound retarded, but that's what came out.)

He pulls over, and I'm thinking I wonder how far I'll take this. Cars are passing us as we're on the side of the road. I leave the flashlight in the car and he shows me an empty wallet, some kind of cardboard id , and a picture of a kid with a soccer ball. He says that's all the id he has and that he's just out of jail.I'm still not a 100% sure he's the same guy or another thief. He hasn't done anything threatening so I'm standing there pretty much impotent.

He asks what this is all about. I tell him I've been robbed recently, and that if he were me he'd do the same, right?
"Yeah", he answers as the question was rhetorical.
This time I aim slowly and snap a picture of his lic. plate.
He makes a u turn and gets on the nearby freeway, probably to his real home.

The whole conversation and experience seemed like some kind of game we were playing. I didn't catch him red handed, so did not call him a thief to his face, and he had to act innocent without giving me any real info about himself.

I called the cops again, and asked to speak with the officer that took my last statement. I said I had a lic. plate number this time. The lady just forwarded me to "investigations" where I left a voicemail.

I'll be posting the video from the sec.cams soon.

My neighbors are proud of me, and tell me it's unlikely he'll be back.

I'm mostly pissed at myself for ruining the trap that would have had this guy in possesion of stolen property plus an address to follow or give to the police.

I guess that's why I'm not in the law enforcement business.

So there you go...

I hope it's kewl to go on about this here.
I've been posting my little saga at CocoonTech as well; but I like this community, and I do have my sec cams integrated into XLobby...

[scottw]

Manny,

You are a BADA$$!!!! I don't think you are an Idiot, I do think you may have stopped him from coming back. Next time you need to be on your roof with a sniper rifle


Any luck with the police and the tag number?

[dalanik]

Hell man, you might consider selling the story rights to one of the Hollywood studios