SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento residents are calling for solutions after dealing with stolen mail for months. One resident said the cluster mailbox in his neighborhood has been hit four times in the last month alone, including once this week.
Neighbors want the locks to be changed to prevent future theft, but told us nothing has been done to solve the problem.
"They need to replace those boxes. It's an inconvenience for my neighbors, and it's an inconvenience for me," said Chris Levy.
He said he first started noticing mail box thefts in his neighborhood near Clay Creek Way in Sacramento at the beginning of this year. He said it happened off and on, but now, it's getting worse.
Levy shared pictures with ABC10 of the most recent break-in which happened this week.
"Everything was gone. Everything was out. They wiped it out," he said.
Levy is concerned someone stole a master key, because they keep getting targeted. He said he's reported the thefts to the Postal Inspection Service's national line, but hasn't gotten answers.
"I have not heard back for them. I haven't heard anything going on about a replacement," he said. "All I do is try to document every time it happens, every time I see it."
Levy wants the box or locks to be replaced. He said it's been costly for his neighbors who are losing packages.
Levy reached out to ABC10 for help and he's not alone. Viewers in communities across the Sacramento region have been hit with the same issue, particularly those with cluster mailboxes.
ABC10 spoke with Postal Inspector Jeff Fitch about the problem. He said their agency has a number of investigations going on in the Sacramento area and stressed the importance of reporting when you see a mail theft in your community.
But for people like Levy who said they've already reported, they're wondering what's next.
ABC10 asked Fitch if there are plans to change out locks on mailboxes that have been targeted, but he couldn't tell say if upgrades are being made in the area at this time.
He also said he understands the frustration residents feel, but he said reporting is key as USPIS want to identify the individuals stealing mail.
In the meantime, USPIS recommends picking up mail daily, signing up for informed delivery and reporting suspicious activity.
USPIS recently announced they plan to replace nearly 50,000 old locks with electronic locks in cities across the nation. There is no word yet if any of those will be coming to Sacramento.
You can report stolen mail to the Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 877-876-2455.
WATCH ALSO:
