String of mail thefts prompts Lacey police to offer safety tips
A string of mail thefts has prompted Lacey police to offer safety tips to area residents.
Police have received five reports about mail theft, said Sgt. Shannon Barnes.
One of those reports was of a break-in at a community mailbox — the kind of mailbox that serves multiple residences on one street and requires a key. That occurred in northeast Lacey Jan. 4-5, Barnes said.
The more common kind of mail theft happens to the traditional, non-locking mailbox, she said. Sometimes thieves will cruise from neighborhood to neighborhood, opening up mailbox flaps and leaving them down, a telltale sign of theft.
Tips for residents:
▪ Take outgoing mail to a U.S. Postal Service mailbox or to the post office itself.
▪ Don’t let mail sit overnight in the mailbox.
▪ Stop delivery of the mail and have it held at the post office if you are away from your home for an extended period.
▪ Switch to paperless billing.
▪ Sign up for the postal service’s informed delivery service, which will send you an email, including image, of the mail you are receiving for the day. It, too, acts as a reminder to pick up mail.
Barnes added that residents should also report suspicious behavior.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "String of mail thefts prompts Lacey police to offer safety tips."
