SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mail thefts have been getting out of hand for almost 10 years, said Pocket neighborhood leader Will Cannady, but cluster mailbox thefts involving the robbery of postal workers brought a whole new dynamic to the issue.
"What I thought would be a temporary problem has now become a longstanding issue," he told ABC10. "More secure F series mailboxes were thwarted by people robbing postal carriers at gun point. My cluster mailbox was broken twice last year. It would usually be pried open with a crowbar or by force, but now with the master key they just open it up and drive away."
Encountering more and more neighbors who believe the ongoing mail theft isn't being addressed, Cannady decided a few weeks ago to launch a map tracking the cluster mailbox thefts in the Pocket area.
Since being published on Feb. 15, the map created through Google Maps has been viewed and used more than 50,000 times and features dozens of reports made by neighbors.
Pocket resident Hansford Chock said he was looking at different social media posts about cluster mailbox thefts in the area before coming across Cannady's map.
"I thought it was eye opening to see which areas around my neighborhood were being hit with mailbox thefts," Chock said. "I wanted to add my area to the map so that my neighbors were aware that our neighborhood and area were no exceptions to these thieves so that they could be more aware and alert."
While criminals stealing from cluster mailboxes without using force are suspected of having master keys typically held by postal carriers, the USPS postal inspector in Sacramento, Jeff Fitch, says there's only been one case in Sacramento last year of a postal worker being robbed for their keys at gun point.
The safety of USPS employees is the agency's top priority, he said.
"There are mail robberies outside Sacramento in places like the Bay Area as well, and they're serious federal offenses that can get someone 20 years in prison," Fitch told ABC10. "Residents can continue to call our 24-hour number and make an online report, or talk to a dispatcher. The reports will be sent to our team of postal inspectors who work on mail theft cases in Sacramento."
Maps like the ones created by Cannady help in the postal inspectors' investigations, he said.
Pocket resident Ronn Darwin said he's also seen mail theft continue over the years and believes the issue is not being addressed.
Investigations are continuing into current mail theft cases and individual reports do make a difference, Fitch said.
The USPS also recently reported plans to roll out 49,000 electronic locks to replace old arrow locks, but Fitch said the locations and time of replacements cannot be disclosed because of safety concerns.
"My hope is by keeping the map going it keeps up awareness of these thefts and shows our local postal service how bad the problems have gotten," Cannady said.
