VIDEO: Police investigating package theft in Olde Richmond

OLDE RICHMOND, Pa. (WTXF) - Philadelphia police and the city's Streets Department are investigating security camera footage that appears to show a city worker on a recycling truck stealing a package off the front steps of a home.

The footage shows a recycling pick-up crew on the 2200 block of Oakdale around midday Thursday.

A worker can be seen worker picking up a blue plastic recycling bin, and then--after looking around--snatching a box right off the front step of a row home.

Seconds later, the worker tosses the package and the recyclables into the back of the truck.

Just around the corner, as the truck's compacter is activated, the worker removes the box from the back and brings it to the driver's side door.

When the homeowner returned to an empty stoop, he went right to the camera's owner next door.
That owner asked that FOX 29 not give her name.

Dan Martino, of the Olde Richmond Civic Association, says the "recycling rip off" was captured thanks to a nearly year-old program that's using grant money to install almost 200 security cameras in this section of Philadelphia, turning the neighborhood into a virtual TV studio.

"We're fed up," said Martino to FOX 29's Bruce Gordon. "You know, we deal with too much, and this is our solution."

Martino says it was his home security cameras that lead police to charge a 21-year-old woman with the stabbing death of her 80-year-old grandfather, Robert Girard. Security footage reportedly showed Patricia Diocson as the only one to come and go from the house around the time of the stabbing.

"We actually got a message from the 26th District police who said our video camera system was integral in cracking the case, and we couldn't be more proud of that, honestly."

In a written statement, the Streets Department says it is fully cooperating with the police department in probing what it called an "unfortunate incident."

They would not say whether the worker involved has been suspended during the investigation or whether a co-worker seen on the video was aware of what was happening.

As the owner of the cameras that captured the city worker puts it:

"I don't care what you're doing--picking your nose, whatever--don't do it because there's a camera watching you!"