November 18

Stolen mail reported on N.E. 95th St.

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16  comments

Rachel emails to say “I just wanted to let you know that there was a woman going through mail on Northeast 95th Street (we are east of 15th Avenue  Northeast).”

She notes:

I renewed my Washington ID a couple of weeks ago and was waiting for it in the mail, until I received a phone call from a Lynnwood police officer Wednesday night stating that someone had been arrested in Lynnwood and presented my ID as their identification and that she confessed to going through mail in our neighborhood. Who knows what else she got out of our neighborhood’s mail?

We don’t get that many reports of mail theft, and in fact the Seattle Police crime report map doesn’t appear to show any reports this year.

It may be seasonal, though. Our last reports of stolen mail or packages, here and here, appeared to have some connection to the upcoming holidays.

About the author 

Sara W

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  1. I want to know why in the world we are totally urban yet still have rural drive up mailboxes? I take my life in my hands every day crossing the street to get my mail with no sidewalks and open ditches. Ridiculous.

  2. Just Google “Cluster Box Unit”. You will find all the information you need.

    Another benefit was that sixteen rather ugly mailboxes were removed.

  3. Jojo:

    I’ve noticed some streets have the group mailboxes -do you just go to the post office & order?

    The post office does not own the delivery points (mailboxes). You and your neighbors take it upon yourselves and buy it from a company approved by USPS (such as Bommer which has a DC in Auburn). Then you install it at your cost and the local Postmaster will approve its installation.

  4. I had mail stolen a couple years ago (rec’d some torn up mail from the post office with a stamp on it that said ‘stolen’). I bought a locking mailbox from home depot right after.

    I’ve noticed some streets have the group mailboxes -do you just go to the post office & order?

  5. If ordering from Amazon this season, it would be advisable to take advantage of their “Amazon Locker” option. There’s nothing left on the porch to steal. Order early. The lockers fill up.

  6. If you can afford it buy the black locking mailbox. The metal kind.
    Had the same issue a few years back and installed the locking box and problem solved. Also, if you can, have all your packages shipped to your work. We even have family mail packages for our kids shipped to my work. Would never knowingly have something shipped to our house. Side note, has anyone here been getting mail for addresses on 17th instead of 15th and vise versa?

  7. We put in a CBU (Cluster Box Unit) mailbox for the sixteen adjacent neighbors. Each unit locks for secure mail delivery. There is a mail “out” slot that can’t be pilfered. There are two keyed package delivery boxes, the post office leaves a key in your mailbox if you have a package.

    The reason your mail is being pilfered is because you are allowing it to happen.

    The cost per participant was less than it would cost to have a single mailbox and post installed by a contractor.

  8. I have seen the same early 20s guys on 5th ave around 88th to 90th or so with packages that have thrown the boxes down. Tall, medium build, brown hair, hoodies. Same two guys both times.

  9. Verified issue for us in the past and based on the times we KNEW it happened (mail of ours being found dumped by the creek), we assume it has happened more than we know (as evidenced by mailings that senders swear they sent in the past). We’re on Roosevelt by a bus stop, so got a heavy duty locking mailbox. I suspect packages will still disappear sometimes, and so be it.

    FYI: with UPS you can sign up for their online services (free) and put in permanent ‘special instructions’ for the delivery person to put the package somewhere far more secure/inconspicuous. This has worked well lately for us.

  10. I strongly encourage you to get together with neighbors to get a joint locked mail box unit. We had mail stolen around X-mas time on our street, but now with a 16 unit box, we know our mail (both outgoing and incoming) and smaller packages are safe. It is worth it for peace of mind and cost less than $150/family.

  11. Pretty sure reported mail theft doesn’t show up on the crime map. I found stolen mail, dried out family pictures and separated junk from legitimate mail and turned into police to be returned to owners within the last year. This was very low priority to police and the officer seemed annoyed to have to deal with returning it.

  12. November 13th a neighbor found a bag of mail spilled out on the ground at NE 117th & 22nd Ave NE and turned it in to the police.

  13. I had a package stolen from my doorstep last August. Our mailboxes are now the locked community kind but prior to that we had a couple of mail thefts, as well. So sorry for anyone who has endured this!

  14. Mail theft picks up dramatically in November and December every year as thieves look for mailed gifts and checks in Christmas cards and the like. If you come out in the morning and see mailbox doors open down your street, you’ll know someone spent the night searching boxes for such items. Be sure to pick your mail up in a timely fashion every day this time of year, and never leave your box full overnight.

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