Stolen mail has Astoria, Queens residents calling for action
NEW YORK -- On a Friday afternoon in Bayside, longtime resident Tim Dillon was checking the U.S. Postal Service website for tracking updates on an incoming delivery.
"I was expecting my new, enhanced New York State driver's license," he said.
The mail never came.
"I approached the letter carrier the following day," Dillon said. "Sheepishly, he said the mail was stolen out of the green mailbox. It has been an issue here in Bayside, Douglaston."
It's also a problem in Astoria, where repeated daytime mail thefts were caught on video at the corner of 23rd Avenue and 21st Street. Perpetrators appeared to use a key to access a pair of green USPS relay mailboxes used by letter carriers for storage.
Neighbors in Astoria and Bayside said USPS never notified them that their mail was gone.
"Forget being offered fraud protection. We're not even being told about this," Astoria resident Christina Fraioli said.
In light of widespread reports of stolen mail in the area, Congresswoman Grace Meng joined the NYPD and the United States Postal Inspection Service at a press conference in Maspeth to share mail theft prevention tips with the public.
"If you're going to drop off your mail, we recommend dropping it off directly to the post office," NYPD Deputy Inspector Kevin Coleman said.
The Postal Inspection Service said it depends on the public to notify it when mail gets taken. Residents argue it should not fall on them to safeguard their own mail.
"No one wants to take responsibility for it," Dillon said.
The postal service said it is in the process of installing 12,000 high-security blue boxes nationwide and replacing the antiquated arrow keys used to open green boxes.
Employees who asked to remain anonymous said mail carriers are being offered bribes for the keys in the amount of tens of thousands of dollars.
Those who don't accept a bribe risk losing their keys by force. More than 400 mail carriers were robbed on the job in 2022, according to a USPS report. Meanwhile, there were more than 300 robberies just in the first half of this year.
USPS has not yet provided a timeline for phasing out arrow keys.
You can email Elle with Queens story ideas by CLICKING HERE.