“The people committing these offenses are stealing everything in the box. They will steal anything of value (checks, gift cards and cash) and the rest is just thrown in the trash or otherwise disposed of,” Johnson said. “Christmas cards will certainly not be spared and anything inside will be taken and the card will be trashed.”
The timing of the thefts is not clear, which is why police recommend that residents place all mail in the indoor collection box or hand it to a letter carrier, Johnson said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service disagrees that the blue boxes should not be used, and Nicole Lutz, spokeswoman for the Cincinnati Field Office, said the U.S. mail remains one of the most secure ways to transmit information.
“If customers are using USPS blue collection boxes we encourage them to place their outgoing mail in the blue boxes before the last pickup time of the day,” Lutz said, to make sure the mail is picked up that day.
Frank Albergo, the national president of the postal police officers association, said he sides with Kettering police on this issue.
“At this point, the postal inspection service can’t guarantee the security of the mail in the postal collection boxes,” he said. “A slice of Americana is being destroyed,” Albergo said of the thefts from the iconic blue boxes.
Letter carriers in the Dayton area have been robbed of “arrow keys,” which are universal keys that unlock the blue collection boxes.
At least six people have been arrested in connection to mailbox thefts in the area, and Lutz said there are active investigations into the mail theft activity.
“We are making progress in those investigations but at this time I can’t provide specific details due to maintaining the integrity of those investigations,” she said.
Those who believe they may have been a victim of mail theft should contact the Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455 to file a report.
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