One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Is That a 200lb Mailbox in Your Pants or Are You Just a Trendy Thief?
Knocking over mailboxes, according at least to cinema, seems to be a rite of passage for teens in small towns and rural areas. But a new "trend" in the L.A. area is the theft of large mailboxes--the ones belonging to the U.S. Post Office. Four of them, at 200 pounds apiece, have been swiped lately from post offices in Glendale, Burbank and Pacoima.
Now a federal investigation has been opened to identify the suspects who were able to the mailboxes as bolted into a concrete slab, and who may have personal identification information from the mail retrieved from inside.
The Glendale News-Press offers details of the latest box heist:
Most recently, a drive-up mail collection box was discovered missing July 2 at the Glendale post office at 6444 San Fernando Rd., [U.S. Postal Inspector Renee] Focht said. It’s not clear when the mailbox was stolen, but it was there when the post office closed the day before.
Focht noted that it is unclear if the four thefts in L.A. were related.The mailboxes will be replaced, but it's a bit trickier when it comes to the mail stored inside. Postal customers who may be affected were notified by fliers posted at the post offices, and are urged to contact creditors and other people and institutions with whom their communication has been affected by the theft.
The Post Office has put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect; hopefully that's one check that won't get stolen from the mail.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
