Audrey Gomez
In the past few weeks there have been numerous reports of mail theft or suspicious activity that might be leading to it.
Mail theft is common this time of year, said Lt. Michelle Duncan, of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
“There were about 35 reported mail thefts since Dec. 1 in the Sweet Home area,” Duncan said. “There are others reported in Harrisburg, Millersburg, Waterloo, Sodaville, and Albany.”
Some of that mail was found on Dec. 28. Sweet Home Police Department officers contacted LCSO about a pile of mail being burned at a boat ramp. About 29 pieces of the found mail were stolen from county residents, Duncan said.
Travis Frick avoided actual theft of his mail, but called the police about suspicious circumstances on the east end of Long Street, between the 45th and 48th blocks.
He posted the information to the Facebook group “Sweet Home Community Watch.”
When Frick went to his mailbox on the morning of Jan. 2, the door was open. So were the doors to his neighbors’ mailboxes.
“I looked down the street, and nearly every mailbox door was open,” Frick wrote in his post. He said he has not had any mail stolen.
“I get it as soon as it comes,” he said.
The post was more a public service announcement, he added.
When Frick needs to send mail out, he either takes it to the post office or asks for a pickup.
“I rarely put stuff in the box,” Frick said. “I put a note in there asking the driver to come get packages from me.”
That practice is in line with what LCSO Sgt. Dave Lawler recommends.
“Never send outgoing mail in your mailbox,” Lawler said.
He recommends taking outgoing mail directly to the post office.
As for safeguarding mail that is delivered, Lawler said getting a post office box in town is one option.
Another is to get a locking mailbox. That could slow down potential thieves.
Lawler said people who steal mail may work in teams, with one person driving and another quickly going through the mail to take what they want.
The rest is either tossed out the window or placed in someone else’s mailbox.
“Suspects are looking for presents, gift cards, and money being sent,” Duncan said. “I do not know for sure if all the Sweet Home ones are the same suspect, but it is likely.”