Shelton cops warn about mail theft
SHELTON — Mail theft has become an issue locally in recent weeks, and police are offering tips to residents to better protect their deliveries.
Shelton police Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said there have been instances of people stealing mail from numerous mailboxes, then sifting through for anything of any value, from checks to credit cards.
Kozlowsky said there have been few such reports in Shelton but acknowledged many such instances have gone unreported. The most recent report, Kozlowsky said, occurred on Falmouth Drive on Oct. 31.
According to police, a resident observed a male in a four-door sedan park, get out of his vehicle and dump a large stack of papers in a storm drain before driving off. Police said the papers were found to be mail from homes throughout the area of Falmouth Drive.
“We tell people to send mail in secure mailboxes with the drop slot,” Kozlowsky said. “But if you want to put mail to picked up in your mailbox, do not put up the flag on the box.”
Kozlowsky also recommended residents sign up for the US Postal Services Informed Delivery program, which is free and available to all.
Informed Delivery, Kozlowsky said, offers the homeowner preview images of incoming mail and status updates about incoming and outbound packages.
The US Postal Service website states that people can see notifications in a morning daily email, or at any time on the dashboard from their phone, computer, or the USPS mobile app.
The US Postal Service site states that as the mail travels through the service’s network, pieces go through high-speed sorting machines, which take a picture of the front (the side with the address). Informed Delivery shows people grayscale images of those pieces arriving soon at their address.
Informed Delivery will then also show the status of incoming and outbound packages.