Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Sudbury Pines Extended Care is ending the year with a more than 25% reduction in energy use following a partnership with Eversource.

The family-owned small business is now a more efficient year-round environment for guests, families and employees all while reducing its environmental impact and saving $18,000 in yearly energy costs.

Sudbury Pines operates around-the-clock and must provide a safe, healthy environment which made it the perfect candidate for energy-efficient upgrades, said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency Tilak Subrahmanian. Our team shared energy expertise and helped identify several projects and programs that would effectively reduce their impact on the environment and save them money. Together, we are able to have a positive effect and look forward to delivering solutions that will benefit the family-owned business today and into the future.

The energy efficiency work includes a comprehensive lighting upgrade including ceiling sensors and photocells, the installation of low-flow faucets and aerators and refrigeration upgrades. Eversource also helped Sudbury Pines install Wi-Fi thermostats, which in addition to providing energy savings and convenience, allows Sudbury Pines to participate in the Eversource ConnectedSolutions Demand Response, a program that offers participants incentives for allowing the energy company to adjust their WiFi thermostats during peak energy periods.

Working with Eversource and our partners and tapping their expertise, along with cash flow and finances, were the key factors we considered when driving these projects forward, said Sudbury Pines Extended Care Business Operation Manager Kevin Osborne. The untold story is that an equal amount of vision with leadership, incentive research, design consideration and implementation is required to bring it to fruition. Sustainability does work for us, its about better patient outcomes, quality facility conditions, and mitigating our environmental impact.

Sudbury Pines Extended Care plans to invest its energy savings into additional energy efficiency projects, including insulation, heat recovery ventilation systems and new heating and cooling systems. There is also high consideration of installing rooftop solar, having been accepted into Eversources SMART program, which is expected to cover more than 60% of the buildings current energy demand.

Sudbury Pines took advantage of Eversources Small Business Energy Solutions which included a free facility audit by AECOM, a qualified energy contractor, and a proposal detailing recommended energy improvements. Eversource reviewed the proposal to ensure that the project was cost-effective and paid up to 90 percent of project costs for installation of approved energy-efficient measures such as LED lighting and building controls. Eversource also inspects completed projects to verify equipment is correctly installed and working and confirms the job is completed to customer satisfaction.

For more information on Eversources Small Business Energy Solutions, visit Eversource.com.

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Sudbury Pines Extended Care ending year with over 25% reduction in energy use - Wicked Local Sudbury

Looking for the best smart thermostats for Alexa? You have come to the right place

If you have an Amazon Alexa device, then you might be interested in buying a compatible smart thermostat so you can control the temperature of your home remotely. Here is an overview of the best smart thermostats with Amazon Alexa.

The Nest Learning T3008US is the third-generation learning thermostat made by Nest, which was thinner and sleeker than its predecessors. It lights up when you start walking up to the device. And the T3008US shows you the time and temperature from across the room.

For those of you who are handy, it takes about half an hour to install. And Nest devices are known for helping its users cut down on their bills by over $100 per year.

The T3021US is a smart thermostat that learns the temperatures you like and can turn itself down while you are away. And the T3021US has a large and sharp display.

Some of the best features built into the T3021US include auto-scheduling, Wi-Fi compatibility (change the temperature from your phone, tablet or laptop), Energy Saving (Nest Leaf appears when you choose a temperature that saves energy), Smart Thermostat (learns how to keep the house warm despite changes in the weather), and Home/Away Assist (automatically turns temperature down while you are away to avoid heating or cooling an empty home).

For those of you who are handy, it takes about half an hour to install. And Nest devices are known for helping its users cut down on their bills by over $100 per year.

The ecobee4 is able to listen to voice commands and respond with Alexa built-in. You can have the ecobee4 set a timer, read the news, adjust the temperature, etc. Plus it works with other Alexa Devices by supporting ESP so that only the device that is closest to you responds to commands.

And the ecobee4 comes with a room sensor that helps manage hot or cold spots in the home thus delivering comfort in the rooms that matter.

The ecobee4 is able to sense occupancy and automatically enable the right mode energy savings when it senses no one is home.

It takes about 30 minutes to install the ecobee4 using the installation guide and an in-app step-by-step walkthrough.

The Honeywell Home T9 features a Monthly Energy Report that shows you how much energy was used. And you can save even more with a schedule that adapts to your lifestyle and by connecting with your utility efficiency program. You can also adjust your thermostat from anywhere with your mobile device or let your home automatically react to your schedule with geofencing. Plus you can add smart room sensors to focus the temperature on multiple rooms for comfort where it matters.

And the T9 also intelligently learns your homes heating and cooling patterns in order to deliver the right temperature at the right time. Then it sends you filter and temperature alerts.

When you connect your Honeywell Home account with your utility, you can earn rewards each season for your energy efficiency.

The Bosch BCC100 easily controls your home temperature with your voice as you communicate with the Amazon Alexa smart device. And the full-color 5-inch display thermostat touchscreen automatically turns on and off while you are away from home.

Plus the Bosch BCC100 features both comfort setting and intuitive scheduling to make it easy for you to choose a temperature for different times of the day without having to worry about the home getting too hot or too cold. And you can access the main screen and set up the thermostat from any smartphone or tablet.

Its worth mentioning that a C-wire (common wire) is required to power the unit. Two-wire systems are not supported.

The Honeywell TH9320WF5003 supports remote access to the thermostat through a computer, tablet or smartphone with Honeywells Total Connect Comfort Service. And apps are available for tablet and smartphones.

Some of the other specifications includeEnergy Savings mode, 7-day easy programming,custom display with on-screen comfort information, and a five-year limited warranty.

The Emerson Sensi Touch ST75 lets you remotely access, change or program your home temperatures anytime any anywhere. It was designed to work with HVAC equipment in most homes in the U.S. and Canada. And the Sensi mobile app guides you through each step of the DIY installation process. Plus a common wire (c-wire) is required.

After the Sensi thermostat is running, you can let your location automatically adjust your temperature settings with geofencing or use the intuitive controls to create a custom schedule in order to save about 23% on your HVAC energy usage. You can set, lower or raise your home temperature with simple voice commands using Alexa or control the Sensi thermostat using Siri on your iPhone or iPad.

Plus you can get utility rebates in your area through the rebate finder.

The Nest Thermostat E has a simple design with a new frosted display that blends into the background. You can use the Nest app to change the temperature remotely.

Plus there is a Home/Away Assist that turns itself down after you leave so you do not have to waste energy heating or cooling an empty home. The Energy History feature shows you how much energy you use and why.

The Emerson Sensi ST55 makes it easy to remotely control and schedule your temperature. And the Emerson Sensi thermostat does not require a common wire (c-wire) for most installations so it is compatible with the HVAC equipment in many homes in the U.S. & Canada. The c-wire is required for heat-only, cool-only, heat pump (without aux) systems, and for use with Apple HomeKit.

With the Emerson Sensi ST55, you can use location-based temperature control with geofencing or create a custom heating and cooling schedules with the flexible 7-day scheduling option with the ENERGY STAR certified Sensi thermostat. Plus with the energy-saving features, you save about 23% on your HVAC energy usage so you can save money without compromising your comfort.

The Sensi integrates directly with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Wink home automation platforms. And you can connect to Amazon Alexa to control your home temperature with simple voice commands or just ask Siri to set, raise or lower your home temperature while using Sensi with Apple HomeKit.

Plus the Sensi also features smart alerts to help detect extreme temperature and humidity levels in your home.

The Vine Smart TJ-919 has a sleek and modern design that show clear images. And the Vine Smart TJ-919 features ultra-flexible 7-Day and 8-period settings. And it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Plus you can control it from your phone, tablet or laptop with smart Vine App.

The Bosch Connected Control BCC50 thermostat is compatible with most 24VAC heating and cooling equipment to help you save energy and money. And you can easily control your homes temperature from the interface using the 5 back-lit touch buttons. Plus you can control the Bosch Connected Control smartphone app or your voice with the Bosch Connected Control Alexa Smart Home Skill and your Alexa-enabled smart devices.

And the Bosch Connected Control BCC50 Thermostat blends into any room by automatically turning off the backlit touch buttons when it is not in use and displays only the essential temperature information on the screen.

Plus the Bosch Connected Control app allows you to remotely control all of your thermostats settings. And it also allows you to adjust your schedule while on-the-go or set it to vacation mode to save energy while youre away.

There are filter reminders so you can get alerts when it is time to replace the system air filter. And it is programmable with up to 4 preset or user-defined schedules to help you save energy and money.

Note: it is compatible with majority of HVAC systems (C-WIRE REQUIRED)

The Honeywell Home RTH6580WF features7-day programming with 4 program periods per day which can be configured to meet nearly any scheduling scenario. And the Honeywell Home RTH6580WF Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat allows remote access through a smartphone or computer.

You can view the local weather from the web portal or app (Wink App Ready and the Wink Hub is not required).

Inside of the box is the thermostat, a wall plate (attached to thermostat), screws and anchors, a Quick Start Guide, a thermostat ID Card, wire labels, a User Guide, a Quick Reference Card, and G Wire Jumper Cable.

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12 Of The Best Smart Thermostats For Alexa - Pulse 2.0

As I do every December, I was writing about this years mergers, acquisitions, IPOs and other equity events in the home-technology channel you know, just a quick paragraph on each (coming soon). When I got to Resideo, though, the little blurb I intended to write turned out to be more like a novel.

So here it is in a longer form, starting with the conclusion:Resideo could have the first viable business for comprehensive remotemonitoring and home services basically doing for all home systems what itsdone for security. Who could have fathomed this proposition even a year ago?

We envision a future where our homeanticipates problems, takes appropriate action and connects to a qualifiedprofessional to correct the issue, said Alice DeBiasio, Resideo VP and GM ofGlobal Pros Security, in an August 2019 interviewwith the Electronic Security Association.

Resideo (REZI) is the security, home automation, HVAC and building-controls group that spun off from Honeywell in late 2018, forming a new $5 billion (revenues) public company. Free at last from its $40 billion parent company, Resideo quickly acquired three niche businesses that Honeywell probably wouldnt make time to sneeze at, much less acquire in rapid succession.

The three acquisitions were LifeWhere,WhiskerLabs (one division) and BuoyLabs three relative startups with technology to monitor and react to variousconditions in the home. LifeWhere measures the performance of home appliancesand warns of potential breakdowns. The unit acquired from Whisker Labs learnsthe heating and cooling patterns of a home, mashes it up with outdoor weatherdata, and auto-adjusts the indoor temperature for energy management andcomfort. Buoy Labs tracks the flow of water in a home, issuing alerts and/orcutting off the water supply if anomalies are detected.

Traditional providers of insurance, home warranties, energy, security, and smart-home services will be playing catch-up.

Each solution comes with a recurring fee, which is easilyjustified: Just imagine the expense and heartbreak of doing without theprotection! Non-subscribers could face mold and flooding (from slow and fastwater leaks, respectively), inefficient heating and cooling, and the prematuredemise of unchecked appliances.

In theory, Resideo could prevent all these calamities or atleast mitigate damages, just as the company does today for other threats to peopleand property fire, gas leaks, water leaks, break-ins, vandalism, personalemergencies, and more.

Resideo could wrap the new protections in a bundle that includes existing security and home-automation services. Ultimately, the company could own the home-monitoring and -services category like no one else can, at least not anytime soon. Traditional providers of insurance, home warranties, energy, security, and smart-home services will be playing catch-up. Theyre not even close.

Unlike other would-be home-protection companies, Resideo already has the infrastructure to monitor consumers, their homes, and their things and to respond accordingly:

Looking at the capabilities and strengths above,we can imagine Resideo incorporating LifeWhere, Whisker and Buoy pretty quicklyinto their technological platforms and business models at least much moreeasily than perhaps any other operator.

As for #6 above: We believe there areadded monitoring opportunities for our dealers who are interested in theseadded elements of home protection, beyond just break-ins or fires, said AliceDeBiasio, Resideo VP and GM of Global Pros Security, in an August 2019 interviewwith the Electronic Security Association.

She adds, [A]ll these acquisitions are going to position Resideo and our thousands of professionals as the experts in home protection.

Resideo is in the process of revamping its user app, as well as its dealer portal, to incorporate all the new devices and conditions the company can monitor.

For now, the new Resideo Home app exposes the Buoy Whole Home Water Controller and Buoy Water Leak Detectors. From there, users can access Buoys free features, or upgrade to premium services like advanced automatic water shutoff and leak alerts, Resideo explains.

We should expect the same fremium model to apply to other Resideo offerings all of which eventually will be part of the new app. The company doesnt expect to add its legacy security capability to the app until the end of 2020.

Resideo introduced the new app at a Dec. 4, 2019, event in its home town of Austin, Texas, explaining how it will make whole-home monitoring possible for the four critical networks of the home water, air, energy and security.

Resideo CEO Mike Nefkens said, We do not believe that the critical systems of the home should be a do-it-yourself adventure. Through the new Resideo Home app, were going to bring the world of proactive, professional monitoring to the entire home, helping better protect the people inside and mitigating problems before they arise.

The proactive element is the new thing for Resideo. Its current security and home-automation systems are pretty smart today, but dont provide much in the way of AI and predictive analytics. Resideo service providers tend to react to emergencies after the fact, rather than anticipate them through smart devices on the premises and analytics in the cloud.

All three recent acquisitions Whisker, Buoy and LifeWhere bring predictive analytics to the Resideo ecosystem, exposing some amount of information for self-monitoring and reserving some of the smarts for fee-based services.

Resideo also (re)introduced an indoor air quality monitor to its smart ecosystem that will pair with the app to let homeowners and their home pros see real-time carbon dioxide levels, particles, chemicals and humidity to understand the air inside and do something about it.

Meanwhile, Resideo is working on its next-generation smart thermostat that will integrate with the Resideo Home app, and serve as a dashboard for all the new and legacy things Resideo monitors.

For several years, the insurance companies have been eyeing IoT as a way to glean more data from the home and its occupants, and provide more services to the insured. Theyre struggling.

The Holy Grail would be something like a Triple-A for the home, much like we have for cars. Everyone has AAA, because its silly not to. The auto insurance costs just $100 or $200 per year, and theyre everywhere and anywhere in case of an emergency or inconvenience. Towing, changing a tire, jumping a car, adding gas these and similar services are free. If you need anything more, you pay extra.

Its relatively simple to apply this kind of service to automobiles because independent car-towing trucks and mechanics are everywhere the original Ubers of our times.

The home is harder because there are so many specialized systems to master; however, with a growing roster of smart devices to monitor these systems, a cloud service to make sense of the data, apps and dashboards for self- and pro-monitoring, and thousands of feet on the street for service and support (about 110,000), Resideo just might be able to pull it off.

How much would you pay for AAA in the home? Put me down for about $400 per year.

PRESS RELEASE DEC. 4, 2019

AUSTIN, Texas,Dec. 4, 2019 Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI), today announcedthe launch of the Resideo Home app, which will make whole-home monitoringpossible for the four critical networks of the home water, air, energy andsecurity. At an event for industry professionals and partners at the historicAustin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre in Austin, the company showcasedits vision for the future of the smart home and upcoming subscription servicesmade possible by the new app. Through these services, homeowners will easilyconnect with professionals who can help ensure home networks are operatingefficiently and can intervene to help prevent costly damages, like water leaksand major appliance failures.

At Resideo,were committed to helping homeowners make sense of their homes, and in theprocess, help professionals modernize and expand their businesses while givinga better experience to customers, said Mike Nefkens, president and CEO ofResideo. We do not believe that the critical systems of the home should be ado-it-yourself adventure. Through the new Resideo Home app, were going tobring the world of proactive, professional monitoring to the entire home,helping better protect the people inside and mitigating problems before theyarise.

Resideo Homeand Resideo Pro Apps

Designed toprovide homeowners with a simple, unified platform that connects and managesthe home, Resideo will enable the migration of the companys 6.5 million connected customers,currently spread out among its existing apps, into the Resideo Home app throughout2020. Starting today, users of Resideos recently launched BuoyWhole Home Water Controllerand BuoyWater Leak Detectors can begin using the new app and access its free features,or upgrade to premium services like advanced automatic water shutoff and leakalerts. In the coming months, Resideo will integrate air products, such as theT Series line of smart thermostats, into the app. By the end of 2020, the appwill support Resideo whole-home security systems as well.

Unlike other smart-home apps that merely control gadgets, theResideo Home app looks at the entire home by offeringa glimpse into howthe air, water, security and energy systems are performing. The bright andvisually rich user experienceoffers insights through analytics that willhelp the homeowner identify energy savings, water usage and other tips overtime.

A professionalversion of the app, Resideo Pro, will provide professionals with installationtools, help them better service customers through account management andservice calls, and provide access to new business opportunities.

The ResideoHome and Resideo Pro apps are available now in the iOS and Androidapp stores.

NewWhole-Home Services

Resideo alsounveiled its new portfolio of connected, whole-home monitoring solutions thatwill be accessible through the app. Approximately 25% of homes in the UnitedStates have professionally monitored security. In a first for the industry, thenew subscription services from Resideo extend professional monitoring to theother critical networks of the home. Resideos new subscription services will helppros and homeowners use the data already being produced by the critical systemsof the home in ways that make the home work better and more efficiently.

Were givingthe entire home a pulse to help both homeowners and the trade professionalssave time and resources, said Niccolo de Masi, chief innovation officer andpresident of Products & Solutions, Resideo. For most people, their home istheir largest financial investment where they live with their loved ones andkeep their most precious possessions. We are proud to bring this much-neededenhanced protection to the home.

New Toolsand Services for Professionals

Resideo also announced a new digital experience that can help its network of 110,000 trade professionals and their 1 million technicians build business for the future, simplify operations and strengthen relationships with homeowners. The Resideo Pro Portal offers a single destination for product information, product support, access to services and tools to promote and drive leads. A new training and loyalty program called Resideo Pro PERKS launches in January 2020.

Through the ProPERKS program, pros and distributors will be able to access a tiered system ofbenefits, including strategic partnerships with other pros in Resideos networkto take advantage of new business opportunities across the homes criticalnetworks, new marketing tools to sell smart home solutions, and new videocourses to become experts on the latest technologies.

Resideosvalue proposition is firmly grounded in the belief that DIY companies aresimply not equipped to address the installation and integration challenges dueto the vast number of smart-home devices on the market, as well as lacking theknow-how that local contractors have, said Mark Vena, senior smart homeanalyst, Moor Insights & Strategy. In addition, to manage critical systemsin the home like air conditioning, heating, water management and energyutilization, advanced technical training and professional-grade equipment isrequired two things the average consumer or the DIY companies dont possess.

NextGeneration Comfort Platform

Resideo also unveiled concepts for its next-generation smart thermostat it will develop in partnership with professional contractors. Much more than a thermostat, the device will fully integrate with the Resideo Home app, providing insight into the four critical networks and access to subscription services through on-the-wall control with a modern user interface.

The company plans to launch alpha and beta test programs with professionals in 2020.

We have anenormous advantage to deliver whole-home monitoring because of our presence in150 million homes and decades of experience, Nefkens said. Our professionalnetwork of suppliers, dealers, contractors and installers ensures the job isdone right, that dedicated support is always within reach, and will lay thegroundwork to bring the next era of the connected home to life.

AboutResideo

Resideo is a leading global provider of critical comfort and security solutions primarily in residential environments and distributor of low-voltage electronic and security products. Building on a 130-year heritage, Resideo has a presence in more than 150 million homes, with 15 million systems installed in homes each year. We continue to serve more than 110,000 contractors through leading distributors, including our ADI Global Distribution business, which exports to more than 100 countries from more than 200 stocking locations around the world. Resideo is a $4.8 billion company with approximately 13,000 global employees.

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With Smart Devices and Pro Network, Resideo Could be AAA for the Home - CEPRO - CEPro

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Do you want to give someone on your list a gift they love and then love it every month? A smart thermostat is definitely the best choice, because they are reminded every month how great it is when they see how much their energy bill is lower. Its just that two of the most popular options out there are now for sale at their Black Friday prices. The ecobee3 lite smart thermostat costs only $ 149, or you can upgrade to the ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control for $ 199 instead of $ 250. The latter is basically an ecobee3 with a built-in Echo Dot for hands-free Alexa commands, so dont do it trouble unless you know your recipient is using Alexa.

Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to stay up to date with the newest and best deals we find on the internet. Prices are subject to change without notice and all of the discount coupons listed above may be available in limited stock. BGR can receive a commission on orders placed via this article.

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Ecobee smart thermostats now start at $ 149 - BGR - themediatimes

Online shopping is one of the great luxuries of our time up there with the invention of the dishwasher and washing machine in terms of saving time and energy in our busy lives. But as a psychotherapist, I realized many years ago that shopping in stores is, for some people, an important antidote to loneliness and isolation. A quick, pleasant conversation with a salesperson or even simply taking in the energy of people in a mall could lift someones spirits and make them feel less alone.

So what are we doing with those lonely feelings now that were doing so much of our shopping online?

One of the things were doing, it seems, is bonding over a controversy directly related to all of that online shopping a controversy that is escalating as holiday packages are being delivered to and stolen from in front of our homes. We're getting pissed at so-called porch pirates.

According to an article in The New York Times, in New York City alone 90,000 packages go missing daily, up 20 percent from four years ago. Many of these deliveries are stolen from front porches and building lobbies, where they are dropped off when no one is home to receive them.

The conflict, which sometimes involves name calling and heated attacks on personal values, has to do with who is at fault. Some angrily accuse the delivery companies and their employees for failing to properly ensure for the safety of the packages. Others blame the thieves, some of whom follow delivery trucks and take items as soon as they are delivered. Others attack homeowners for their sense of entitlement.

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You dont leave your car keys in your unlocked car and assume that no one will bother to steal it, do you? said one man I interviewed about this issue.Why should anyone in this day and age believe that they can leave packages unattended outside their homes and not tempt someone else to take them?

Victims of these thefts can also be attacked for not being empathetic enough to the thieves themselves. Ganave Fairley, a convicted porch thief whose story was told recently in The Atlantic, denies that she stole anything that wasn't freely available, despite being caught numerous times on surveillance and personal cameras, and calls her accusers racist. Some readers responded with vitriol toward the neighbors who put Fairley behind bars, perceiving their efforts to stop her as a failure to empathize with her pain and suffering in other areas of her life. One often repeated comment about Fairley is that she represents how childhood mistreatment leads to an inability to cope with real life."

These are all age-old arguments about community members' rights to personal security and what drives a minority of people in marginalized communities to engage in antisocial behavior, sometimes stigmatized as criminal acts, but what is new about the arguments is the intensity of the anger and the resentment that seems to be driving them. And that makes me wonder if the very thing that has created the problem the luxury of online shopping itself has somehow contributed to people's fervor.

Much has been written about the dangers of the internet, and in particular the ways that it can make us feel lonelier and less connected. Humans are social by nature; scientist Mathew Lieberman writes in his book, "Social," that we are wired to connect. Even those of us who identify ourselves as introverts need human contact.

Shopping, at least after the specialization of labor and particularly after the rise of consumerist capitalism, has historically provided some contact for most of us, which can help with depression, loneliness and even eating disorders. But we dont even have contact with salespeople or brush by other shoppers when we shop online.

Emma Seppala, a researcher at Stanford University, writes, People low in social connection are more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, antisocial behavior and even suicidal behaviors. Further, according to a classic study published in Science, the absence of social connection can be more damaging to our physical health than smoking, obesity or high blood pressure.

Some of the response to porch thieves, like in the case of the New York woman who takes in packages for her neighbors, and who receives thanks in cakes and cookies and friendship, is lovely.

But is it possible that joining others in a community of rage is also a way of counteracting loneliness? It would make sense these days, when weve grown accustomed to openly expressed anger as an acceptable form of communication.

David Ludden, a psychologist who writes for Psychology Today, says that when used well, social media can actually help us make connections. And connections are forming as people band together on one side or the other of the porch pirate controversy.

The New York Times article describes the woman who collects delivered packages for all of her neighbors, creating a community in her building. Last year a community in Phoenix organized a similar approach in time for the holidays. Neighborhood watches have sprung up in some areas although as can happen when anger is the unifier, in some cases these watches seem to increase, rather than decrease, the conflict.

And therein is the rub. A family in Florida who filled a decoy package with dirty diapers came in for a lot of positive feedback, but also some criticism for being unkind even more so when they discovered that the packages they thought had been stolen had actually just been delivered to the wrong address.

Anger is a powerful connector. In a world where we often tend to feel isolated and lonely, the package pirates have offered us yet one more opportunity to bond sometimes as neighbors who take in packages for one another, and sometimes over our shared outrage. But anger can destroy bonds, in part by damaging not just the other person, but also your own self-esteem.

In the end, you have a choice about whether youd prefer to connect over anger or over a shared solution. Perhaps when filling boxes with human feces for faceless strangers who may or may not be the faceless strangers who took one of your packages you might consider whether your time and energy would be better spent befriending a retired neighbor who would be happy to answer the door for a UPS delivery person in return for an occasional neighborly visit from you.

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Porch pirates have become public enemy number one. Stopping them might require more kindness. - NBC News

With online-ordered holiday gifts being delivered to doorsteps across Ventura County, many local residents are probably worried about porch pirates.

But potential victims can take heart in this: Statistics show package thefts are down this year from 2018. Some local cities are on track to see only half the cases they saw last year.

As of a few days ago, the Ventura County Sheriffs Office, which provides police services in unincorporated areas as well as Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Ojai and Fillmore, had received reports of 53 cases so far this yearcompared to 93 last year. according to Sgt. Marta Bugarin.

Holidays: Ventura County should see wet Christmas as holiday travel soars

Also seeing a sharp decline was Simi Valley, with 27 cases this yearcompared to 60 in 2018, according to Cmdr. Steve Shorts.

Ventura had seen 12 cases this yearcompared to 23 in 2018, said Sgt. Edward Caliento.

Port Hueneme was on track to roughly match last years total, with 59 cases this year compared to 62 in 2018, said Norma Rodarte, senior record technician with the Port Hueneme Police Department.

Figures werent available for Oxnard, and the Santa Paula Police Department didnt have the exact number of package thefts because the agency doesnt track them separately from other thefts, saidRecords Supervisor Dianna Miller DeRemer.

Oxnard police arrested a suspected package thief after a neighbor reported suspicious activity on Tuesday.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The decline in incidents surprised some local law enforcement officers.

One of the things we are surprised is that there are not as many package thefts reported in December, Shorts said.

Officers attributed the decline to better prevention efforts by homeowners.

Almost universally, they cited increased use of video doorbells that can record the thefts and thus deter porch pirates or help police catch those who go through with the crime.

Demographics: California's population stalls at 39.9M as more flee state

Besides getting a video camera, agencies offered this prevention advice:

Preventing theft of whats on the porch is only part of the holiday battle against thieves; they could still break into your home, especially if youre out of town on a holiday trip.

The U.S. sees about 1.5 million home burglaries each year, with FBI statistics showing nearly 76,000 occur in Southern Californias Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

For people who are going out of town for the holidays, the Auto Club of Southern California offered these burglary prevention tips:

Mo Jazi is a breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach him atmo.najafianJazi@vcstar.comor 805-437-0236.

Support local journalism: Follow high-profile court cases and track public safety threats so you can protect your family, Get unlimited access to coverage like this with a digital subscription to The Star.

Read or Share this story: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/12/22/amazon-package-theft-ventura-county-california/2687703001/

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Stats on package thefts from porches in Ventura County could surprise you - VC Star

Twas a couple of weeks before Christmas, when the culprit sneaked up to a San Pedro home, snatched a package on the porch and ran off with the goods.

But a witness quickly caught the thief: an unlikely but rather anxious bushy-tailed squirrel.

The package was returned to its owner. The incident was caught on a home surveillance camera.

Not everyone is so lucky, however. As online shopping becomes increasingly popular, so too has porch piracy or the pilfering of delivered packages.

Typically, according to FedEx, Amazon and other delivery and online companies, such issues are swiftly resolved.

But sometimes particularly during the holidays, when timing is of the essence porch piracy begets long-term conflict and disappointment.

Recently, nearly 300 Amazon packages were stolen from a post office in Amador County in Northern California. Indeed, the problem appears to be especially acute in the most populous state in the country.

Three of the top 10 metro areas in the nation most susceptible to porch piracy are in California, according to a recent report by SafeWise, an independent security system review site. The rating list was compiled by comparing FBI crime data with Google Trends searches for missing and stolen packages.

The watchdog site examined metro area package-theft rates for the entire year, compared with holiday-specific theft rates.

The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area came in first, SafeWise found. Los Angeles and the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area came in at ninth and 10th places, respectively. In these areas, the rate of theft was determined to be consistent throughout the year.

Other regions in the top 10 list were Salt Lake City; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; Seattle-Tacoma; Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Denver.

Asked if SafeWises findings aligned with their own internal data, the U.S. Postal Service and Amazon did not respond or declined to comment. Jonathan Lyons, a spokesman for FedEx, also declined to provide data about reported package thefts. But he did cite a 2018 Comcast and Wakefield Research Survey, which indicated that 1 in 4 Americans has fallen victim to package theft.

But he also noted that there are steps our customers can take for added peace of mind.

FedEx has instituted its own preventive measures, including having items shipped to alternative destinations, such as a relatives home, ones workplace, a FedEx office location or an authorized shipping center, such as Walgreens or Albertsons.

To ensure that items are not left unattended, customers can also schedule deliveries at a convenient time or require a signature from the recipient. Specific delivery instructions can also be provided to FedEx drivers. Do you like your packages left behind the big planter or tucked behind the grill beside the back door? the company asks.

Some customers have installed surveillance cameras and video doorbells to keep an eye on their parcels, while a few law enforcement agencies have resorted to elaborate sting operations, using packages with GPS trackers inside, in an effort to reduce the number of thefts.

In Amador County, where some 300 parcels were stolen from the post office on Dec. 1, local authorities have no surveillance footage or witness information to go on. On the sheriffs Facebook page, victims of the theft are encouraged to share their experience.

Through a post, Jean Michelle Morgan Ballard indicated that shed lost out on nine packages of gifts for her grandchildren. Likewise, Victoria Cox Noble was waiting on three presents. When Cox Noble reported the loss, she said, Amazon gave her a refund. Still, she will not be able to replace the products, one of which was part of a Black Friday sale, because they are no longer available.

To date, only a handful of victims have come forward. Plus, Amazon never reached out to us, never gave us any information, Amador County Undersheriff Gary Redman said. As a result, the agency has been unable to determine the level of theft.

All of the stolen packages were taken from a post office that was closed for the day.

The delivery person, who was hired through a third-party company, left them at the wrong place, Redman said.

More here:
Three of top 10 metro areas in the country vulnerable to 'porch piracy' are in California - Los Angeles Times

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Its been a violent start to the holiday week in Philadelphia. A teen boy was gunned down on a front porch of a home and a 19-year-old man was critically wounded in separate shootings in North Philadelphia on Monday.

(credit: CBS3)

Police say the 16-year-old boy was shot multiple times and killed while standing on his porch on the 3100 block of North 24th Street, shortly after 1:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The detectives have not found a weapon.

I was making an order when I heard the shots. There were eight of them. I heard four and then it was like a 30-second delay and then I heard another four, said Giles Jones, of Peralta Hector Grocery.

When I came out I heard yelling and my brothers shot, my brothers shot. And then he said, someone call 911 and I dialed 911 for him, Jones said.

Neighbors say theyre tired of having to bury children who were gunned down.

Stop thinking to kill somebody is the answer, that it makes you a big man or it makes you the big guy in the neighborhood. No, it doesnt make you any of those things. Youve taken another life, youve taken another black life. You are contributing to the decline of our communities and our families, neighbor Charlotte Murray said.

In a separate shooting some 15 minutes later, a 19-year-old man was critically wounded after he was shot in the arm on the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. He was transported to Temple University Hospital.

No arrests have been made in either shooting.

To date, at least 113 kids have been shot this year in Philadelphia.

CBS3s Kimberly Davis contributed to this report.

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Teen Boy Killed On Front Porch Of Home, 19-Year-Old Man Critically Wounded In Separate Shootings In North Philadelphia - CBS Philly

TUCSON, Ariz. In a world where we've got to stress about people stealing our delivered packages, we now have something new to worry about.

However, it may not be there intention.

In Oklahoma, a family's doorbell camera captured a "Pooch Pirate" in the act as it snagged one of their packages. Apparently, the Christmas gift traveled all the way from California, and a large, white dog decided to take the gift home perhaps back to his own family.

Take a look at the video...

Max, the large, white dog, has since been put in timeout and the neighbors offered to pay for the package.

Over in San Pedro, California, a ambitious squirrel was able to steal a package from a resident's porch.

The video footage shows the squirrel creep up on a number of packages on the doorstep, and select one and drag it off-camera.

Then, when it's not your packages being stolen it's your beloved Christmas decorations you've got to worry about.

With a "bah humbug" and a few stamps of a hoof, the decorations were destroyed outside a home in Georgia.

In conclusion, these kind of instances have been happening for years. Now we've got fancy cameras to document it.

Read the rest here:
Four-Legged Porch Pirates on the prowl - KGUN

Thieves who steal packages from peoples porches or mailboxes are a constant holiday problem, but this year was supposed to be different.

A bill was introduced earlier this year to raise package theft to a higher level of crime, even a felony.

The bill, AB 1210, was designed to deal out harsher punishments and act as a stronger deterrent toward so-called porch pirates. But the legislation was blocked.

Police agencies and victims say thieves are becoming more brazen than ever.

In the case of Alison Casanova of San Jose, the thief waited until the mail delivery man left then sauntered up to the porch, covering his face from the camera.

"And he knew he was doing it, and he knew he was being filmed," Casanova said. "So that tells me he was casing the house, too, because how would you know I had a camera right there."

But now, even thieves who are caught face a punishment equal to only a citation. South Bay Assemblyman Evan Low introduced a bill, co-authored by Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, in February to raise the crime to the level of breaking and entering and as high as a felony.

The bill was blocked and is being reworked after other lawmakers said a suspects prior criminal record and the value of the stolen merchandise need to be considered.

Low, Rosen and police officers were disappointed the proposed new law wouldn't be ready for this holiday season.

Last week, Milpitas police used a decoy package and caught an alleged thief within minutes.

"Any bill that helps our efforts to fight crime is great, but we still have a job to do regardless of what the laws are and what the bills are," said John Torres, spokesman for the Milpitas Police Department.

Casanova added: "It would be nice if we could have something change sooner rather than later because it sounds like it's getting worse."

Lows office said the reworked bill should be ready for consideration by mid-January.

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Package Theft Bill Being Reworked as Porch Pirates Become More Brazen - NBC Bay Area