The Austin Police Department urges residents to be more vigilant as holiday package thefts rise. Earlier this month, a recent frenzy was caught on camera, reflecting a grim snapshot of the city's mounting problems. Two men were spotted stealing mail and packages from the mailboxes at Mesa Village in northwest Austin as reported by KVUE.
According to SAFEWISE, an estimated 119 million packages were stolen nationally last year as per CBS Austin report. Austin's own fight is compounded by APD's staffing shortages, even as the city ranks unfavorably among the top ten regions plagued by parcel piracy.
In a tide of frustration, Austin Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly has sent out a memo to Interim City Manager Jesús Garza, urging a call to the postmaster general for a lock change of the city’s master keys in what seems like an interminable wait for conciliatory action, as asserted by "Over the last year, I've gotten more and more complaints from people in the community about these mail thefts," as per KVUE report.
Even though unable to confirm specifics around the Mesa Village incident, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson admitted to a familiar tune of mail theft reports across Austin. "Inspectors take every report of mail theft seriously. They use a variety of investigative tools and actively work with our local law enforcement partners and with the community to identify those responsible for mail theft. In order to protect the integrity of the investigations, additional details cannot be released." the USPS disclosed to KVUE, underscoring a commitment to the plight but retaining investigative details under lock.
