Long Beach Police, Postal Inspectors Launch Sting To Catch Mail Package Thieves

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Authorities in Long Beach have stepped up their crackdown on mail package thefts for the holiday season.

CBS2's Michele Gile rode along with one of 15 teams of U.S. postal inspectors and officers, who fanned out across the city Wednesday hunting for thieves who tail mail trucks and steal packages from people's doorsteps.

"A lot of the vehicles are followed. And when the packages are dropped off; the vehicle drives off, bad guys will pick them up behind them," said U.S. Postal Inspector Eric Shen. "It's a crime of opportunity. They see the packages. They know it's the holidays. A lot of people now buy their gifts online. So they know they have an opportunity of getting really good things out of these packages."

Being caught in the act on security cameras apparently does not faze some of the thieves because the payoffs can be so big, police said.