Why Clever Utah Residents Are Wrapping Rocks, Junk

A man in one Utah community says his neighbors have begun placing decoy packages on front porches in an effort to thwart holiday delivery thieves. Rocks, old clothes, and junk televisions are among items that resident Kroger Menzer says residents in the Daybreak neighborhood of South Jordan have been putting in shipping boxes. People are also using surveillance video. "The goal isn't to catch them in the act, that's for the police," Menzer told KSL-TV. "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."

Menzer said one of his neighbors came up with the idea and posted it to the Daybreak community Facebook page. Lt. John Barker, of the Unified Police Department, said it can take just seconds for a thief to jump out of a car, grab a package, and run. He said police don't want residents putting themselves in danger by confronting thieves. They recommend using surveillance video instead. Barker also recommended picking up packages at delivery service locations. (More strange stuff stories.)