Thieves take mail

The outside mail boxes at the Aledo Post Office were recently robbed of the mail they contained.

Dates and other details of the theft are not known, although U.S. Postal Inspector Sean Smith did confirm the theft. He said other details could not be disclosed due to an ongoing investigation.

Mail theft has been a growing problem in the U.S., and not always just mail boxes.

Smith shared a press release stating that arrests for robbery of letter carriers are up 73% year over year.

The release said “the U.S Postal Service (USPS) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced an update on Project Safe Delivery, a joint initiative to protect postal employees and secure the nation’s mail and packages. The initiative was launched in May 2023 in direct response to rising crime across the nation that has led to increased threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents.”

Because of the increased enforcement, reported robberies of letter carriers have decreased by 19% and complaints received for mail theft are down 34% over the last five months.

Stolen mail often yields credit cards, checks, and personal information that can be utilized for identity theft.

In addition to beefing up enforcement against perpetrators, the USPS, in partnership with USPIS, has been installing hardened blue mail boxes that are more difficult to crack, as well as electronic locking mechanisms that are strategically deployed in high postal crime areas.

About 15,000 hardened blue boxes are being deployed across the U.S. with another 8,500 ordered to be installed, and 28,000 electronic locking mechanisms installed in mail receptacles.

There are no details available as to whether Aledo will be equipped with the hardened blue boxes.

Smith encouraged anyone who has been a victim of mail theft to visit https://www.uspis.gov/report or call the Fort Worth USPIS at 877-876-2455 (available 24 hours a day).