Plans to combat mail theft in South Bay as issue arises

SAN JOSE, Calif. ( KRON ) — In the South Bay, elected officials and law enforcement in San Jose are calling for more to be done to protect mail carriers and prevent mail theft.

An apartment complex has repeatedly had its community mailbox broken into and robbed. And they are not alone.

According to the postal service, between 2019 and 2022, there was a sixfold increase in the number of mail carriers being robbed. There is also an 87 percent increase in the number of high-volume mailboxes, such as those in apartment complexes, being broken into and robbed.

Last year, more than 30 Bay Area mail carriers were robbed, including a San Jose carrier who was robbed at gunpoint last November and a Palo Alto carrier who was beaten and robbed.

U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta says that more needs to be done to protect carriers and prevent theft.

Panetta recently introduced new legislation, the Mail Theft Act, which aims to improve cross-agency efforts to stop mail theft and would make investigating these crimes a top priority for federal law enforcement.

“All we are asking is that the U.S. Postal Service acts so that their letter carriers can complete their rounds and do it safely,” Panetta said. “To make sure they are able to deliver this mail to us, and we are asking the USPS to protect our mail and to do it quickly so that we can protect our livelihoods and our communities.”

Of particular concern, thieves are robbing mail carriers to get the keys they use to unlock mailboxes. Panetta is calling on the postal service to start using electronic keys on mailboxes in order to discourage these robberies.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.