Stopping porch pirates

[jussi]

You might have heard of this on the news. This guy set up fake packages that were designed to spray glitter and fart spray when opened. He found volunteers to put them on their porch and wait to see if they got stolen. The packages also had video and a gps device. First part is him talking about the actual device. Forward to around 7:00 if you just want to see the video footage of the thieves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4T_LlK1VE4

[capncarl]

Frankly, I was embarrassed by their attempts to teach thieves a lesson. Pitiful machine. It reminded me of a cartoon where the nerd in school put a thumb tack on the bully’s bicycle seat to teach him not to hurt people.
They obviously had the money and means to build a good machine... but glitter? Why not several cans of Great Stuff expanding foam? Or a bee hive? Or a coffee can full of fire ants, Or a mad squirrel? Why not a large inflatable boat? The voice effect brought this from a 2 out of 5 to a -1 out of 5!

[LCHIEN]

Frankly, I was embarrassed by their attempts to teach thieves a lesson. Pitiful machine. It reminded me of a cartoon where the nerd in school put a thumb tack on the bully’s bicycle seat to teach him not to hurt people.
They obviously had the money and means to build a good machine... but glitter? Why not several cans of Great Stuff expanding foam? Or a bee hive? Or a coffee can full of fire ants, Or a mad squirrel? Why not a large inflatable boat? The voice effect brought this from a 2 out of 5 to a -1 out of 5!

its what happens when you have a nice guy trying to teach a baddie a lesson. Can't go too far out of line with nice behavior and cause an lasting physical or financial damage.
Frankly the cost and time expended to do this seems like a waste. Bad guys are not worth your time.

[Carlos]

It was discovered that at least some of those were fake (actors "stole" them). Even just the glitter and stink sprays might be considered assault otherwise. You generally can't set up booby traps under US law.