Mail theft frustrates islanders; Vashon Post Office limits lobby hours

Islanders are getting increasingly fed up with mail theft around Vashon, including a recent rash of mail burglaries at the town post office.

Multiple customers told The Beachcomber that over the last few months, they’ve been the victims of thieves who broke into the P.O. boxes in the post office lobby.

Efforts to protect mail security have now prompted the post office to begin restricting access to the P.O. box lobby, which has normally been open 24/7.

Starting Aug. 10, the lobby will close to customers overnight and on Sundays.

“Due to the ongoing security needs, we didn’t have the opportunity to give advance notice, but we know that people will understand the need to protect their mail,” United States Postal Service (USPS) spokesperson David Rupert said in an email. “We don’t have an end date at this point, and we will continue to monitor the vandalism situation with the local police and the United States Postal Inspection Service.”

The P.O. box lobby will only be open to customers during normal retail business hours: Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

A notice posted on the post office front door recently states that “due to vandalism in the area, the United States Post Office at this location will restrict after-hours access to this facility effective immediately.”

“The Postal Service appreciates the patience and understanding of its customers and apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause,” USPS spokesperson Kim Frum said in an email.

Though the damage can be frustrating, the employees at the Vashon post office don’t decide when the boxes get fixed, Frum pointed out.

“The timeframe for repairs is not within the control of the Post Office staff, and employees cannot comment on any ongoing investigation,” Frum wrote.

Repair orders for the boxes have been filed, Frum wrote in an email, but “unfortunately, the repair process is taking longer than normal due to the unique nature of the PO Boxes, and parts are not readily available.”

The Beachcomber is awaiting more information from the United States Postal Inspection Service and from a public records request.

(The USPIS is the law enforcement arm of the USPS.)

Islander’s P.O. boxes damaged, accessed

Multiple islanders interviewed by The Beachcomber said that after their boxes were broken into, they’ve heard few answers from the post office.

Islander Michelle Bates has had her P.O. box since 1997 — and she’s a big fan of the old-school glasswork used in their construction. After a break-in on June 3, however, her box was damaged and sensitive mail was stolen. This is the first time there’s ever been a break-in or incident like that with her P.O. box, she said.

Like other customers, she now must get her mail from the counter until the glass in her box can be fixed.

“I don’t blame the post office or the workers,” she said. “… We all think of the post office as really wonderful and secure. … It’s just really a bummer. I don’t know what people are actually getting out of the boxes, but it must have gone well the first time for them to come back twice more.”

Overnight access is “clearly” being abused by a few people, she said, but the restriction of post office lobby hours will be hard on islanders.

“Having the lobby locked except during business hours is going to have a huge effect on the people who use P.O. boxes, especially renters, who move often, and commuters, who may never be able to get their mail, or at best only once per week,” she wrote in an email.

A compromise is needed, she said, such as keeping the lobby open a little later through the evening and on weekdays, or by implementing a keycard access system.

“Both would require an investment (installation of a key-card system, or staffing to lock and unlock the doors) but with the large increases in PO box fees, that doesn’t seem unreasonable,” Bates said. “And islanders might be willing to help out to preserve a vital community function.”

Also needed, she said: Better communication from the post office, particularly with P.O. box holders who were targeted.

Roy Haase has lived on the island for 40 years, and more than 30 years ago, his family started paying for a P.O. box because “our mailbox (was) being hit and destroyed — you know, the kids were knocking it with baseball bats.”

Now, their P.O. box has been vandalized, too.

For a week in early June, “we weren’t receiving any mail,” Haase said. “So finally, we went up to the counter and asked them … And that’s when we found out the mailboxes were broken into.”

Thankfully, the damage to their box was minor and it could still be opened, closed and locked, Haase said. He said they are now receiving mail again.

It’s the first time their P.O. box has ever been broken into, Haase said, and he said he was concerned by what seemed like a lack of proactive communication from the Postal Service.

“I was alarmed that they didn’t tell us that it was broken into,” Haase said. “We had to kind of figure it out ourselves. … I think the public needs to know about it.”

Duke Davis, who has lived on the island since 2006, said his household decided to get a P.O. box a couple years after moving due to concerns over mail theft at their home mailbox.

“Up until the last few months,” they hadn’t had problems with that P.O. box, he said.

After an early June break-in, Davis said — in which their box was one of those targeted — there was no mail in the box except for a note instructing them to call a number if they’d been the victim of mail theft. They called the number and were told the theft is under investigation.

Because it’s a business P.O. box, he said he expects he may hear from customers about their payments not going through.

“As somebody who pays rent for a secure box, the only thing I’m kind of waiting for is repairs to be made and (for things) to get back to normal,” he said. “It seems like it’s not moving at a pace (in which) that’s going to be done anytime soon. … We’re still having to go to the counter and retrieve our mail.”

Reduce your risk

A few basic steps can make you less of a target for mail theft.

• Invest in a locking mailbox and keep it in good condition. Collect your mail daily, even if you have a locking mailbox. Don’t use your mailbox as storage. Send outgoing mail through the post office.

• Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery, which will send you daily previews of your incoming mail and deliveries. Keep an eye out for your letter carrier; if you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.

• Report mail theft to either the King County Sheriff’s Office or Postal Inspection Service. Consider starting a neighborhood watch program by coordinating work and vacation schedules with neighbors so you can watch each other’s mailboxes and homes.

A previous version of this article mistakenly stated that the Vashon Post Office lobby used to be closed on Sundays. The Beachcomber also incorrectly reported the hours of operation at the Vashon Post Office, due to inaccurate information received from the USPS. A USPS spokesperson said the website hours previously listed for Vashon were incorrect and will be updated. We regret the error, and the article has been corrected.