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Mountain View mail carriers are facing more than just the usual perils of bad weather, heavy loads and aggressive dogs. They now also have to contend with armed robbers stealing their postal keys.
Postal workers are being targeted at alarmingly high rates, said Matthew Norfleet, a U.S. Postal Inspector who investigates crimes related to mail theft and fraud.
Once a rare occurrence, armed robberies are occurring every week now, Norfleet said. The robbers are specifically going after postal keys, with the intent to use them to steal mail and packages from locked boxes.
Other news reports corroborate an uptick in strong-arm tactics against postal workers in the Bay Area, including a recent case in Palo Alto where a mail carrier was pushed to the ground and robbed of her keys and cell phone earlier this month.
The robberies started in larger cities, like San Francisco and Oakland, but have become more frequent on the Peninsula, Norfleet said. Keys to buildings with panels of mailboxes are seen as particularly valuable, as thieves can steal large amounts of mail and packages in the shortest amount of time.
Mountain View resident Kelly Morgen had this unfortunate experience recently when she went to check her mail at her apartment complex in the Whisman area on Dec. 5. Her mailbox was empty, even though she had received notification that a tracked package had arrived Dec. 4.
When Morgen reported the missing package to the United States Postal Service (USPS), she learned that there had been multiple mail thefts at her apartment complex, as a result of a postal worker being robbed of his keys at gunpoint. Morgen also said it was unlikely that the locks to the mailboxes would be replaced, as the USPS customer service agent she spoke to said it was the responsibility of the apartment complex.
Norfleet also described the futility of trying to stay ahead of robbers with changed locks. “The postal service is always changing locks,” he said. “It’s a full-time job. But robberies are still happening.”
Instead, he said it’s better to prioritize the safety of postal workers, who have been particularly hard hit by the robberies. Mail carriers, some of whom have been on the job for 20 to 25 years, are now reporting that they no longer feel safe walking around neighborhoods. They fear getting beaten up, injured and having weapons pointed at them, Norfleet said.
When asked about where the robberies were occurring in Mountain View, Norfleet said he could not disclose the information because it could prompt more activity at compromised mailbox locations. It’s also hard to track mail theft data, he said. People often don’t report it, as they don’t know about the U.S. Postal Inspection Service ( USPIS), a federal agency that investigates mail crimes.
Norfleet did offer some tips for keeping mail more secure from theft. He said it was best for people to pick up their mail as soon as possible to discourage thieves. He also recommended using free USPS services, like Informed Delivery, that shows a preview of mail that is arriving that day and to put mail on hold when traveling or have a trusted neighbor pick it up.
Neighborhood watch groups also can help protect mail carriers. But if community members see any suspicious activity, then they should report it to the police immediately and not handle it themselves, as 90% of the time, the apprehended robbers are armed, Norfleet said.
Any information about robberies committed against mail carriers or the location of stolen postal keys also can be reported to the USPIS 24-hour hotline, 1-877-876-2455.
“Mail carriers are doing such an important service for our communities,” Norfleet said. “It’s heartbreaking to see this happening now.”
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Thank you Emily for reporting on such a relevant issue to the community.
Newsom’s lawless California. So sad the state has descended so far.