Full Notification

We are continuing to experience mail theft here in Duarte, and the surrounding areas. Our deputies continue to work on these thefts, providing extra patrols looking for mail thiefs, collecting surveilence video, and conducting thorough investigations. 

In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 22, 2021, deputies received a call of a suspicious vehicle in the 1400 block of Highland that was possibly involved in stealing mail. Deputies were able to locate the vehicle at the 7-11 on Las Lomas and Huntington Drive and a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle yielded thousands of pieces of mail, a drill, broken mail box locks, and a master postal key.  Two male adults who reside in San Bernardino County were arrested.

Great job to the person who called in to report this suspicious vehicle and to the deputies!

In order to reduce the number of mail thefts, we are asking for your help.  One of the best things you can do to prevent mail theft is to collect your mail as soon as possible. Don't let your mail sit in your mailbox, especially over night or for several days.  

Here are some services, security information and recommendations to help prevent mail theft:

Services:

• The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers “Informed Delivery” which will send a digital preview of your mail, track packages, leave delivery instructions, and reschedule missed deliveries:  https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action
• The United Parcel Service (UPS) offers “My Choice,” which gives you up to the minute delivery notifications, allows you to reroute a package if you are not home, and reschedule a delivery time if you are not home:  https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/tracking/mychoice.page
• FedEx – Offers Delivery manager: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/home.html  
• Amazon – Offers up to the minute package tracking and delivery notification: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display

 
Security Information and recommendations:
 

• Report suspicious persons - If you see someone looking into or going through your or your neighbor’s mailbox, call Temple Station (626-285-7171).  Remember, if you “See Something, Say Something.”
• Consider installing a locking mailbox – The USPS has a list of approved locking mailboxes - https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2007/html/pb22206/mailboxkit.4.7.html
• Promptly pickup your mail - Try not to leave letters and packages in your mailbox or at your door for any length of time, especially overnight.  
• Deposit mail close to pick up time- Deposit outgoing mail into USPS® Blue Collection Boxes before the last collection or inside your local Post Office.
• Inquire about your overdue mail - If you do not receive a check, credit card, or other valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the sender as soon as possible and inquire about it.
• Don't send cash - Be careful about what you send. Don’t risk sending cash in the mail.
• Arrange for prompt pickup - If you cannot be home to receive a package, make another arrangement or use the USPS Hold Mail Service.
• Use Hold for Pickup - When shipping packages, use the Hold for Pick-up option, and the recipients can collect the package at their local Post Office™.
• Request signature confirmation - When mailing something important, consider requesting Signature Confirmation™ for the intended recipient.

With your help, we can work together to reduce mail theft in Duarte.