People living in a neighborhood in Summerlin, near Charleston Boulevard and Town Center Drive, say they're fed up with mail thieves hitting their mailboxes several times the past few months.
Thursday morning at about 3:30 a.m., surveillance video in the neighborhood captured a car pulling up with a man quickly getting out and prying his way inside the mailbox.
A tower-style group mailbox, which the U.S. Postal Service says is very common in Las Vegas, is what's used in this area.
Local police and the FBI don't handle mail theft cases. However, the U.S. Postal Inspector does.
With this most recent incident under investigation, the USPS offered a few tips to help keep mail safe:
- Never send cash or coins in the mail. Use checks, money orders, or ask your bank for “secure” checks that are more difficult to alter.
- Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. Or ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail if you’re expecting high-value items.
- Have your Post Office hold your mail while you’re absent from your home for a period of time. You can do this online at usps.com.
- If you don’t receive valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately.
- If you change your address, immediately notify your Post Office and anyone with whom you do business via the mail.
- Consider starting a neighborhood watch program.
- If you have concerns about security in your neighborhood, place mail in a collection box in another area, a secure receptacle at your place of business, or at a Post Office. Also, the blue collection boxes have a sticker displaying the days and times the mail is picked up. If you see you have missed the last pick up time going into the weekend, you can always deposit your mail inside the nearest post office for higher security until it gets processed on Monday.
