New year, same problem: Sacramento County residents are reporting widespread mail theft
By Web Staff
Click here for updates on this story
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — Neighborhoods across the Sacramento region say they continue to struggle with mail theft as the new year begins.
One man living in the Northpointe neighborhood in Sacramento reached out to KCRA 3 about ongoing theft with his neighborhood mailbox. The most recent time happened on Sunday.
He said the issues started about a year and a half ago and have gotten worse: His social security checks were taken.
“We’ve been seeing this off and on very blatantly over the last six months,” Keith Kimber said. “Now it seems like it’s happening every other week.”
Michael Cook, who uses the same neighborhood locked mailbox, said he’s tried reporting the theft to the inspector general with no luck.
“It makes me feel like I can’t trust the mail to get anything that’s secure,” Cook said.
This neighborhood isn’t the only one struggling.
KCRA 3 asked viewers across the region if they’ve had issues in their areas. We got responses from people in various counties who say mail theft continues to be a problem in 2024.
Residents in one Rancho Cordova neighborhood say they wake up to mailbox theft at least once a week.
The latest theft happened on Sunday.
“Clearly, all of the locks need to be changed immediately and there needs to be much more attention paid to those master keys and how people are getting them because we’re kind of stuck,” Colleen Milton said. “There’s not a whole lot we’re able to do.”
KCRA 3 brought these concerns to the U.S. Postal Service.
In a one-on-one interview with U.S. Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet, Norfleet said USPS is replacing, repairing, and upgrading locks across the country.
“If it’s open and the mail has been taken, then we would suspect someone has either a counterfeit key or an unauthorized access to a postal key,” he said.
If you are a victim of mail theft, he encourages you to call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service via its 24-hour dispatch number, which is 877-876-2455. He said not everyone who calls will get a callback, but inspectors are using that information to investigate these crimes.
If you see mail theft happening, do not intervene. Instead, call 911. Norfleet says some mail thieves are dangerous and armed.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
