SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A San Francisco community is frustrated after repeatedly having its mail stolen.
Residents gathered more than 200 signatures to petition for individual mailboxes as a solution but were denied by the postal service.
A US Postal Inspector tells KRON4 that mail theft is a growing problem in the Bay Area.
Two homeowners in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood say their security camera footage proves that master keys are how the break-ins are happening.
Footage captured in June outside Candlestick Cove townhomes shows the suspects pulling up in a car, motorcycle and then walking over to the mailbox.
President of the HOA at Candlestick Cove, Tony Wuestefeld says everyone’s mail was swiped.
“One person pops them open, one person stays in the car and then the two of those other individuals take all the mail and packages and then throws them into a garbage bag,” Tony Wuestefeld said.
They then drove away.
Kristin Bousquet has lived here for 12 years and says the mailbox break-ins have happened three times this year alone.
“This is where the post office puts in their master key,” Kristin Bousquet said.
She says surveillance video taken early Thursday morning shows another mailbox break-in proving that the robbers are using a master key.
“We want the locks changed out. Somebody had their immigration documents were taken, drivers licenses, packages that are obviously delivered,” Bousquet said.
KRON4 reached out to the US Postal Service to find out about these crimes.
United States Postal Inspector, Matt Norfleet says over the phone that Bay Area mail carriers are being robbed of their keys more often.
His advice to those experiencing mail theft is to:
- Not leave your mail in the mailbox for longer than needed
- Have your mail held if you’re traveling or away for long periods of time
- If you’re not home to receive a package, have it delivered to another address
“Not helpful to say the least and it’s limited people. You can’t go out of town because you have to be home to get your mail,” Wuestefeld said.
Wuestefeld and Bousquet say they both have contacted their local Postal Inspector for more to be done to protect their mail.
They are frustrated over a lack of action.
“If somebody is being affected and we know it and we can prove that the master key is being stolen, they need to take responsibility because it’s our mail,” Bousquet said.
Postal Inspector Norfleet says that the Postal Service relies on information from the public to solve these federal crimes.
As of Saturday morning at 9 a.m., officials came out to the area to change the locks
If you are robbed of your mail, or have any information regarding a mail break-in he encourages you to go to the website USPIS.gov to report it.