How do you put a dye bomb in your mailbox? How would you get proof of a neighbor brazenly stealing your mail?
February 282010
I reported my mail stolen to the sheriff’s Dept. and the postal service. A package stolen from my mailbox was found open and empty at the end of the road. I alerted several neighbors & the same suspects’ descriptions kept surfacing. One was even seen walking down the street in the past with an armful of mail, opening and tossing it on the side of the road! The responding deputy said that they cannot just knock on this kid’s door; that would be harrassment. Ha. The postal deliverer and the local P.O. both say it is out of their hands once delivered. When I challenged them, asking why they didn’t encourage victims to fill out a detailed report for postal inspection, the response was less than favorable. It is a case for neighborhood watch at this point. Everyone says install a surveillance camera. Get real people. Think of the logistics. It would have to be a pretty sophisticated operation in order not to devote my days to it! A locking box or PO box is the answer. And a rigged package.
I have never so much as looked cross-eyed at anyone in my neighborhood. I was not individually targeted. The mail was taken from boxes all down my street and an adjacent neighborhood that day. There are specific teen-aged people who have been seen tampering with boxes in the past. One was seen ripping open mail and discarding on the side of the road. I was a tad dismayed when one answerer assumed that I was to blame for this situation. I certainly don’t deserve to be called the insulting names he put in his answer.
I spoke to the postal delivery woman already about leaving a slip for a package from now on. There are no boxes available at my P.O. currently, but we have researched locking mailboxes. I had much better luck with the inspection office, than calling 1800ASKUSPS. If this happens to you, call 1-877-876-2455 (postal inspector). There is also a form online at www.USPS.com/postalinspectors. Now with a little good karma, I’m hoping that the items in the package from my mom will show up!
Forget the knuckleheads working behind the desk at the Post Office. They are typical, lazy, unionized civil servants. Practically worthless.
You need to get in touch with the Postal Police. These are the law enforcement professionals who deal with such crimes. Interfering with postal service is a felony in many cases.
March 1st, 2010 at 1:33 am
Forget the knuckleheads working behind the desk at the Post Office. They are typical, lazy, unionized civil servants. Practically worthless.
You need to get in touch with the Postal Police. These are the law enforcement professionals who deal with such crimes. Interfering with postal service is a felony in many cases.
References :
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
March 1st, 2010 at 1:38 am
mail yourself a small package and setup video surveillance on your own mailbox (no sound, that might violate privacy laws for some reason) There would be your evidence.
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March 1st, 2010 at 1:54 am
Video camera,you know when the mail runs set your camera on a timer.If you put anything in your mailbox except mail it is a felony.No the post office isn’t very helpful in these matters.But if I were you I would find the time to document this.He should not be allowed to get away with it.
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March 1st, 2010 at 2:41 am
I did something for my stolen mail. I went and put body paint that glows in the dark on my box handle and taped them stealing it. So when they say Oh that isnt me the cops used a black light and saw the proof on there hands. This worked for me and the stuff I used is on this web site. its at the bottom.
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it worked for me
March 1st, 2010 at 2:54 am
Place a note card with the word BUSTED on it and write beneath it: Take one more piece of mail and you are going to jail. Place in the mailbox.
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Worth a try…since you can’t shoot the sorry SOB.
March 1st, 2010 at 3:13 am
First dye bombs or any kind of bomb (even non-lethal) are illegal for unlicensed civilians, banks can have them but if you do you will be in violation of federal explosive laws.
If there is witness willing to testify then you can file a police report. No deputy can refuse to follow a formal crime report.
To steal mail a federal offence.
Since no-one want to do their job, just put a video camera and send yourself some pakages or lock your mail box so that only letters can be sliped in by the slot, the mailman will let you a notice about where to pick up pakages.
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:34 am
If the nearest town has a post office (usually the only store in town), ask the post office to change your address to a PO Box in care of that post office.
That way, if there is any future mail theft, then it’d be the owner of the post office.
I would suggest you ask your mailman to leave a note to pick up future packages at the local post office.
In addition, train your dog to bark when mail is delivered.
If you have a dog and have been ignoring its warnings, then you may have to befriend some kids of neighbours you do trust to help you catch your thief.
A nice apple pie or other reward might help.
Even if you don’t catch the thief red handed, then you will learn that NOT ALL KIDS ARE BAD.
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March 1st, 2010 at 3:54 am
You want to put a dye bomb in your mailbox? That would be a federal offense and land you in federal prison, ala Luke Helder.
Contact the Postal Inspection Service
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
New toll-free number: 1-877-876-2455 reaches all Postal Inspection Service offices nationwide.
Contrary to another answer regarding lazy postal workers, letter carriers and folks at the local post office are not equipped to handle this situation. That is why Postal Inspectors exist.
And the Postal Police? Sorry, they do not handle situations like yours, Postal Inspectors do.
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