Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng spearheading charge to end mail theft in Queens
NEW YORK -- The dark green relay boxes used to store mail for the U.S. Postal Service are getting broken into more and more. Now, residents and a Queens congresswoman are banding together to stop the surge of mail theft.
Thieves see them as easy targets, rooted on street corners all over the city.
The relay boxes are used to temporarily hold mail for letter carriers. Security camera images in Queens show unauthorized people breaking into them and making off with mail.
"They need to either increase the security for these boxes or stop using them," Flushing resident Cathy Venis told CBS2's Dave Carlin on Wednesday.
Venis said she knows her mail was swiped from a nearby box, specifically bank statements and a sympathy card for a cat that died.
"I have USPS Informed Delivery, so I get a picture every day of what mail to expect," Venis said.
She said her letter carrier confirmed to her thieves are at work, often with duplicate keys like the one in a photo left in the lock by a thief who ran after he was caught in the act by neighbor Kevin McKenna.
"I wind up catching him and the police showed up and they arrested him," McKenna said, adding when asked what happened in the case, "Ultimately, nothing so far. The DA sent me a deposition saying they were only charging him with a couple of misdemeanors, which is nothing."
"They're supposed to come here. They're supposed to unlock it. Two locks. Unfortunately, though, only one lock is being used," Flushing resident Julio Mora added.
At Post Office Station A in Flushing, Carlin spoke to managers who did not want to be interviewed on camera, but said inspectors are aware of the problem and working on solutions.
The Postal Service would not say if that means extra locks, cameras, or patrols.
Applying pressure to get faster action is Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng.
"It can be banking statements or credit card statements with sometimes personal information that can contribute to identity theft," Meng said.
She said the Postal Service replaced some many of the blue collection boxes back in 2019 and that helped, adding now it's time to make the green relay ones a priority and make them harder to get into.
Late Wednesday afternoon, CBS2 received a statement from the USPS, saying, "The security of mail is a top priority. Postal officials said they work in conjunction with local law enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to ensure mail is processed securely from end-to-end."
Customers are encouraged to call the police immediately if they see suspicious activity with a mailbox, and then report it to Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455 (say "theft").
If a customer believes their mail was stolen, they should report it immediately by submitting an online complaint at www.uspis.gov or call the Postal Inspectors at the number above.
Please contact the Postal Inspection Service with questions regarding theft of mail or U.S. Postal Service property. Postal Inspectors can be reached at ISMediaInquiries@USPIS.gov.
