There has been a significant rise in the mass theft of cargo trains containing packages from all of the major delivery services in the United States, including Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, in Los Angeles County.
According to the Epoch Times, the railroad company Union Pacific Corporation has reported a rough estimate of 90 packages stolen from their trains every day. Union Pacific described this as a 160 percent year-over-year increase in theft in Los Angeles alone. As a result, the company hired even more security to cover the trains, which has led to over 100 arrests over the last three months.
“Union Pacific is very concerned about the increased cargo thefts in California,” said a Union Pacific spokesperson, “and we have taken several steps to address this criminal activity.” The spokesman also pleaded for help from Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, noting that “while we understand the well-intended social justice goals of his Special Directive, we need the justice system in LA County to support law enforcement efforts to hold criminals accountable, while protecting Union Pacific employees and the supply chain.”
Similar concerns were expressed by the Association of American Railroads, which released a statement saying that “in coordination with local law and where necessary federal law enforcement partners, the industry is committed to pursuing all avenues necessary to address this criminal behavior.”