With the onset of the holiday season, a spate of mail theft incidents has hit the streets of West Seattle, reminding residents of the importance of securing their deliveries. According to the Seattle Police Department Blotter, a United States Postal Service (USPS) truck fell victim to a break-in near 42nd Avenue Southwest and Southwest Graham Street. The carrier, engaged in her duties, returned to a compromised vehicle, as reported yesterday afternoon.
Walking back to her truck after making deliveries, the carrier was greeted with troubling news. A bystander relayed seeing a woman lift two trays full of mail from the locked truck, escaping in a white SUV, as per the police report. The carrier indicated a troubling trend of such break-ins recently, suggesting that the thieves might possess a key to USPS vehicles.
The holiday season traditionally brings a jump in mail and package thefts. Local authorities, in an attempt to combat these incidents, have offered several tips. Among those are enrolling in USPS Informed Delivery, a service allowing residents to track their mail and packages more accurately, and arranging for packages to be shipped to alternate locations where they can be personally received.
To further decrease the risk of theft, residents are urged to require signatures upon delivery, or alternatively, opting to pick up packages directly from the carrier's facility. Where these measures are not practical, it is advised that packages be requested to be left out of plain sight, discreetly hidden from the street view, "at the very least," as stated by the Seattle Police Blotter.
