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New tool to stop doorstep package thefts

An Austin man's home security camera captured a crime at his North Austin home Thursday. Footage showed a black Ford 150 truck drive past Bob Walker's home. A few minutes later, the truck returned and a woman got out of the car. What happened next shocked Walker. 

An Austin man's home security camera captured a crime at his North Austin home Thursday. Footage showed a black Ford 150 truck drive past Bob Walker's home. A few minutes later, the truck returned and a woman got out of the car. What happened next shocked Walker.

"What was so upsetting is how brazen it was...The fact that she came up, very calm, very relaxed. She had a clipboard as if she actually belonged here, looked the clipboard and took my package," said Walker.

The surveillance video showed the woman pick up the package from Walker's porch and drive off in the black truck.

Walker had just purchased an Amazon Echo on Amazon Prime Day last Tuesday. It's the one time of the year Amazon offers steep discounts all day. Customers saw new deals every five minutes, and prime customers were also guaranteed a two-day delivery.

"I was really looking forward to it," said Walker.

Walker installed security cameras at his home after his neighbor across the street had her packages stolen off her porch. Police said porch thefts are gaining traction.

"This type of crime happens so quickly, even if a patrol officer came by 30 seconds after, it's done. They've picked it up. There's no broken window with glass, there's no evidence, there's no fingerprint," said Austin police detective, Jarrett Crippen.

Walker said on the same day, another neighbor also had a package stolen off her porch.

"On Karen Street, they had the same issue, except the thief didn't like what they had and threw it into the park," Walker said.

Walker doesn't think its a coincidence but Austin police said Amazon Prime Day didn't cause a big uptick in thefts. They do, however, expect to see more of this crime.

"Back in the day, this happened around Christmas because that's when presents and packages are getting shipped and delivered but now, with Amazon and a slew of other delivery services, that's the normal way people shop now," Detective Crippen explained.

Some advice police said may help prevent thefts: have the package delivered to a neighbor if you won't be home; require a signature for the delivery; or have it delivered to another home door, instead of the one that faces the street.

But perhaps the safest method is what Walker plans to do from now on.

"They have something called Amazon locker," said Walker.

Amazon locker is a self-service delivery location where you can pick up and return packages. A service that hopes to keep your online orders away from crooks.

Police say the best advice is to get to know your neighbors so you can watch out for one another.

By the way, Amazon sent a kill signal to Walker's stolen Echo, which permanently disabled the device.

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