![]() ![]() The victims in the East Vancouver thefts even went to the effort of researching alternatives to the community mailboxes currently in their neighborhood. This flaw in the system means that the USPS official says they can’t afford to change hundreds of community mailboxes each time a key is stolen. The official indicated one of the reasons they don’t have a solution to the problem is that the USPS has so few master keys that each key is used for a very large area. When contacted by the victims in the East Vancouver thefts, a USPS official didn’t even want to see the video that was offered as evidence. ![]() “There is not a neighborhood anywhere in the county that is immune to mailbox theft.’’ Brent Waddell of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “I know we see mail theft across the city and often in the community mailboxes which are sometimes damaged to break into, others seem to have a key,’’ Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Public Information Coordinator Kim Kapp told me late last week. A report by the Vancouver Police RMS Database, showed that reports of theft in the city of Vancouver were up 51.8 percent between 2019-2021. Property crime is on the rise around Clark County and one of the types of crime that is becoming increasingly prevalent is mailbox theft.ĭuring a virtual town hall event on rising property crime held in January, Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins testified that CCSO data shows a 33 percent increase in lower-level crime and auto thefts are up by 48 percent in the unincorporated areas of the county. You can remain anonymous.Theft of personal property crimes are on the rise in Clark County and city of Vancouver and increasing examples of mailbox theft illustrates that trend There is an additional $50,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction related to the robbery of a postal service employee. There is a reward up to $10,000 for information that leads to a conviction for the mail theft. If the stolen mail is used for identity theft, conspiracy, bank fraud or other crimes, that can add additional time to a sentence.Īnyone with information about this case is urged to call the US Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455 or visit. Under federal law, anyone convicted of stealing mail faces five years in prison. “If we can stop a crime from happening, it doesn’t have a chance to grow on the preventive side.” “If anyone notices someone suspicious following letter carriers, or at mailboxes doing something suspicious, they need to notify their local police or postal inspectors,” he said. He urged residents to report any suspicious behavior. Mail carriers “are robbed, unfortunately, from time to time,” Robinson said. “Because of an ongoing investigation, I can’t speak to normal protocols.” “I can’t comment on investigative techniques or corrective actions,” said Robinson. US Postal Inspector Tony Robinson with the Houston Division would not say if the locks in Leander will be changed, if that is standard protocol, or why Crystal Falls HOA residents were not notified by USPS about what happened. Sentences of more than five years have been handed down for similar crimes. Suspects in these type of mail theft cases can face federal charges. A separate award of up to $50,000 is offered for information that leads to a conviction related to the robbery of a postal service employee. On Friday, the USPIS told KXAN there is a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for mail theft. ‘Our carriers are robbed, unfortunately, from time to time’ A spokesperson for the Austin region referred us to the USPIS. It is unclear why USPS did not notify residents. ![]() The would require changing locks for every cluster mailbox in the city, the HOA notes - something that could potentially cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. The HOA says it requested USPS change the locks for its mailboxes. “We’ve heard nothing from the Post Office,” Petrick said.Īsked if USPS should have told residents what happened, Petrick responded: “Absolutely.” Petrick said he found out about the thefts when the HOA, not USPS, alerted residents. ![]()
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