Thieves hit mail collection boxes at four post offices in York County; investigation ongoing

Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record
·3 min read
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Criminals broke into mail collection boxes at several local post offices in York County on a recent weekend, according to the United States Postal Inspector.

Postal inspectors, along with local law enforcement partners, are investigating the break-ins at the following post offices: Felton, East York, Shrewsbury and Windsor, said Christiana M. Kasian, postal inspector for the Philadelphia Division.

"The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made," Kasian said.

When the break-ins to mail collection boxes occurred

Authorities say the break-ins at the four post offices happened late on July 23 into the early morning hours of July 24.

Southern Regional Police said someone pried open the outside mailbox at the Shrewsbury post office sometime between noon on July 22 and 6:30 a.m. July 24.

"If you dropped mail in that date and time range, the mail was most likely stolen," police said in the news release.

Anyone with information may contact police at (717) 235-3944.

The mail collection box at the Shrewsbury post office has been removed.

Springettsbury Township Police referred questions to the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The postal inspection service will not know whether mail was stolen until it receives victim complaints or reports, Kasian said.

"It is imperative for victims/witnesses to report mail-related crimes," Kasian said.

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U.S. Postal Service installing high-security collection boxes

The U.S. Postal Service is taking steps to reduce a surge in robberies and mail thefts, including replacing antiquated keys and installing thousands of high-security collection boxes, the Associated Press reported in May.

Nationwide, 12,000 hardened blue collection boxes will be placed in high-risk areas, the Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service said at the time.

“We’re doubling down on our efforts to protect our postal employees and the security of the mail. We are hardening targets — both physical and digital — to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice,” Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale said in a statement.

The postal service reported 38,500 thefts of mail from blue collection boxes in the 2022 fiscal year.

Criminals target the mail, often in an organized fashion, to commit financial crimes, such as altering checks to commit fraud, officials said. They face steep federal penalities if convicted.

Tips to help prevent mail theft, fraud and more

The United States Postal Service offers the following tips to help prevent mail fraud and robberies of mail carriers:

  • Don't let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. Remove your mail daily.

  • Drop off your mail inside your local post office or at your place of business or hand it directly to your mail carrier.

  • Sign up for Informed Delivery and receive notifications about your mail and packages that will be arriving soon.

  • Become engaged in your neighborhood through watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.

  • Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.

How to report mail-related crimes

Victims or witnesses of mail-related crimes should file a report with local police as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov or by calling 1-877-876-2455.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Break-ins to mail collection boxes reported at York County post offices