Help me catch a petty thief

[The111 0]

So, I came into work yesterday morning and thought for sure I had left a pack of gum on top of my desk that was no longer there. Whatever, I'm probably crazy and chewed it all. So I go across the street to the gas station, buy another. Last night I intentionally left that full pack of gum sitting out to see if it would be gone this morning. It was.

My guess is the cleaning guys, duh. Seems some other people around here have reported similar things. Can I get some sort of cheap webcam that I can conceal in a corner of my cube and take shots frequently enough (every 2-3 seconds maybe, or only when motion occurs?) that I can catch the jerk in the act? I would love nothing more than to figure out who this is and, assuming it is a cleaning guy, take the photo to the head of the janitorial staff and get the guy fired.

Yes, the simple solution is to lock up my shit at night. But I worked in a cubicle for 5 years for this same company (Lockheed) in another city and always left crap all over my desk and it was always fine. This is not very common and this guy needs a new job and he needs to get the fuck out of this building.

I need technical advice on what sort of webcam to use and how to set it up (I'll figure out how to conceal it). A wide angle would be nice, to catch the whole cube, but if not I should have it aimed in the right place depending on where the gum is.

Or maybe I build some simple electrical circuit to a really loud buzzer, and leave the pack of gum on top of a slim concealed switch that will trip that circuit. Then I camp out late at night in one of my neighbor's cubes and wait for the buzzer to go off.

Funniest part is that there's usually a giant handful of change on my desk and that's never been touched, even when they take the gum.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[AggieDave 6]

Why don't you use something like this?

http://www.prankplace.com/candy.htm?KBID=1103&sub=candy&gclid=CP7up_qwlZQCFQkRswodSjjXuQ

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[shropshire 0]

Leave some ex-lax chocolate... serve the fuckers right!!

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[The111 0]

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Why don't you use something like this?

http://www.prankplace.com/candy.htm?KBID=1103&sub=candy&gclid=CP7up_qwlZQCFQkRswodSjjXuQ

Because someone in this building had her purse stolen and it's possible it's the same guy... I'd rather have him fired than get the shits.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[tigra 0]

Everyone always wants to blame the cleaning crew but chances are, its someone you work with, see and talk to everyday. You're lucky its only a pack of gum! I hate thieves in general but the ones who look you in the eye and smile at you are the worst!

They just canned someone here for stealing from a co-worker. The theft happened a few months ago and she probably thought she was in the clear, but the dumbass stole money orders that can be traced. They're keeping it quiet around here but I hope the &*^%$ goes to jail.

[The111 0]

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Everyone always wants to blame the cleaning crew but chances are, its someone you work with, see and talk to everyday.

You're right, the assumption is a bit unfair, but I'm still leaning that way. Although I'm NOT ruling out that it's a co-worker.

I've never left out expensive things because of this, I keep my car keys and cell phone and iPod either locked up or on my person. I left the gum out because it was just gum... but it still pisses me off... not that I lost a pack of gum, but that somebody with that mentality works in this building. I'm willing to waste a dozen more packs of gum as bait to figure out who it was. They've already taken two in a row, let's see if they'll go for number three. Boy, they must think I'm stupid leaving that in the same place every day (and they might be right!).

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[tigra 0]

In my experience, when there have been theft issues at work, when and if the theif was caught, it was an employee and not part of the cleaning crew. (And of course, everyone accused the cleaning crew first!) That's anything from lunches out of the fridge to purses and cameras inside someone's desk. Or, just recently, a stack of money orders someone had just purchased to pay her bills with. We don't want to believe that someone we see and talk to almost everyday is stealing from us.

Something else to think about- anyone willing to steal from a co-worker won't think twice about stealing directly from the company.

[jsaxton 0]

Think about this. Do you REALLY want to fuck up someones livelihood over a pack of gum? Get over it.
You probably lost enough change to buy 2 in a couch over the last week.

[millertime24 8]

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Think about this. Do you REALLY want to fuck up someones livelihood over a pack of gum? Get over it.
You probably lost enough change to buy 2 in a couch over the last week.

So its ok to STEAL someone elses property as long as it doesnt have a dollar value over....what, exactly?

Muff #5048

[alanab 0]

its not the point matt's trying to make. this person likely took his coworkers purse too, and who knows what else. thieves dont just steal gum.

[councilman24 36]

get the blue mouth gum.

think of it as a bank robbery dye pack.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[millertime24 8]

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get the blue mouth gum.

think of it as a bank robbery dye pack.

Be funny as hell too if the perp didnt notice it before everyone else did.

Muff #5048

[Scoop 0]

Yeah...

I use this software called I-Catcher Sentry
http://www.icode.co.uk/icatcher/products/sentry.html

I've set my Sony Handycam up through a firewire port and I've set it up so it only records 1 screen shot every second when motion is detected. Its pretty damn good I have to say.

Give it a whirl. Its free for 21 days, hopefully long enough to capture your villain!

[Andy_Copland 0]

Comments deleted for inappropriate material.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[jsaxton 0]

when you get a little older you'll learn to let the little shit go grommet.

[millertime24 8]

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when you get a little older you'll learn to let the little shit go grommet.

When does "little" cross the line and become "big"shit? Just trying to understand here. BTW, I'm 25 and I'm pretty sure I still have a firm grasp between right and wrong.

Muff #5048

[Andy_Copland 0]

When its more than a handful for your lady friend(s)

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[Andy_Copland 0]

Word.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[jsaxton 0]

it's all a matter of scale and what hurts
when you make > $200K you can shrug off a hundred dollars a lot easier than you can when you make $40K.

At my age (I could EASILY be your father) keeping your blood pressure down becomes more important than self righteousness ;)

[Scoop 0]

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Word.

*sucks air through teeth*

[Andy_Copland 0]

Instead of hijacking with my gangstar talk i should probably contribute.

I agree that its only minor but at the same time its simply not right. Its a slap in the face and kick in the ole testicles so id want to know who it is and make them buy me a new pack or scalp them.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[The111 0]

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At my age (I could EASILY be your father) keeping your blood pressure down becomes more important than self righteousness ;)

It might keep your blood pressure down to stop arguing with us young ones about our self righteousness.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[downwardspiral 0]

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=218&subcategory=219&product=10410&nav=2

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[RALFFERS 0]

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I agree that its only minor but at the same time its simply not right. Its a slap in the face and kick in the ole testicles so id want to know who it is and make them buy me a new pack or scalp them.

Buying the gum back is simply not good enough. As others have stated, this person will not hesitate to steal again if he/she is let off too easy in this instance; they need to be fired in order to reap [and hopefully] learn from the consequences of their actions.

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[Andy_Copland 0]

Gonna disagree here, i had my burger king eaten once while i was butting heads with some Serbian bastard at work (opportunist bastard saw i was busy arguing) and i simply told him to get off his fat arse and get me more which he did.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.