At Least 12,000 Packages Disappear Every Day In Chicago, Expert Says

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you're freaking out because that all-important gift has not arrived yet, you're not alone.

Whether lost or stolen, CBS 2's Tim McNicholas asked an expert how many packages disappear in Chicago.

The answer is at least a staggering 12,000 – every day.

The Shaw family's doorbell camera captured a real-life Grinch this month. He hopped over the fence, unlocked the gate, grabbed three packages, and left.

"They were gifts from family," said Ryan Shaw.

Those gifts included a playset from grandma for 1-year-old Chase.

"It's not real surprising," Shaw said. "This is something that could be a crime of opportunity, or something that's planned."

The Shaws now live in Humboldt Park, but they were also hit by a package thief when they lived in Lincoln Park.

It happens over and over again all over the city. At least 12,000 packages are stolen or disappear without explanation each and every day in the city limits, according to an analysis conducted for CBS 2 by professor Jose Holguin-Veras, a delivery expert at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"That's a lot," said Mrs. Shaw.

Holguin-Veras said if you loop in the suburbs, the number of stolen packages rises to 44,000 a day. He bases his numbers on national studies on package delivery and the limited police data available.

Researchers can only estimate the numbers, because when thieves steal multiple boxes, it is often recorded as one incident.

On top of that, many people do not report the crimes.

"We did not report it to the police department," Ryan Shaw said. "The reality is there's a lot more serious problems happening around the city and we understand that there's not a lot of time."

But they did call the stores, who re-sent the gifts. Now, little Chase will have his playset by Christmas Eve – as long as it doesn't get snatched again.

Holguin-Veras conducted a similar analysis for the New York Times. If you thought our problem was bad, he estimates that 90,000 packages disappear every day in New York City.