Series of Mail Theft on Stone Canyon Road

Many Stone Canyon Road residents were hit by mail thieves this past week.

The Bel-Air Association recommends residents to consider subscribing to the Informed Delivery by United States Postal Service. This service offers by email the images of the mail that is going to be delivered into your mailbox that day. Here is a link to subscribe:

https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

There is confusion on how mail theft is reported and who handles the complaints.

• If someone tampers with a blue USPS mailbox receptacle, it is a felony and the US Postal Inspector is the agency who will investigate and prosecute.

• If someone tampers with your mailbox unit (not the mail inside), LAPD is the department who should be contacted and who will investigate.

• If someone takes the mail from inside your mailbox, that is a felony.  LAPD will take a report that can be given to the US Postal Inspector —  but it is the US Postal Inspector who will investigate and prosecute.

• The apprehension of mail thieves is difficult since many criminal rings rent cars with stolen credit cards or change out the license plates.

• The Bel-Air Association urges residents to remove their mail from their mailboxes as soon as possible.

• If you have witnessed or suspected mailbox theft, please contact the US Postal Inspection Service, who has their own police and investigative unit, at https://www.uspis.gov. You can also call LAPD and they will come out and take a report of the theft to give to the US Postal Inspector.

• The link to report mail theft and fraud is https://www.uspis.gov/report/