Milwaukee area high security mailboxes; installed to prevent thefts
MILWAUKEE - Amid a dramatic rise in mail theft, the United States Postal Service is installing new, more secure mailboxes throughout the Milwaukee area.
People can find the new collection boxes outside post offices in places like Brown Deer, Glendale, West Allis and Milwaukee.
The U.S. Postal Service is installing 12,000 high-security collection boxes across the country this year. The new boxes are deployed in areas at high risk for mail theft. Among the changes is a thinner slot for letters, instead of a drawer.
Shanta and Cleo Rice support the effort to secure the mail. In April, the Milwaukee couple says they dropped off a $1,600 money order in their neighborhood’s collection box. They say their money order somehow ended up in the hands of a criminal.
"Somebody got in that box," said Cleo Rice. "This person put their name on there and went in and cashed it."
Shanta and Cleo Rice
They say it was too late to cancel the money order.
"(We) just had to pay another $1,600 out again, which we really didn’t have," said Shanta Rice.
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Since the start of 2022, the Postal Service has seen an unprecedented rise in mail theft and letter carrier robberies across the nation.
In May, Milwaukee County prosecutors charged a ring of eight men with sticking up letter carriers and taking mailbox keys with the intent of stealing checks.
Two weeks ago in Wauwatosa, police say it appears someone used a pry bar to open two postal boxes on Mayfair Road and steal mail inside.
In 2022, the Postal Service reported 38,500 theft incidents from mail receptacles including blue collection boxes. In the first half of 2023, it reported more than 25,000 mail theft incidents.
"More security for the mail is a good thing," said Dave Skowronek, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 2.
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Skowronek calls the security improvements a positive step for his members. The Postal Service is also replacing 49,000 antiquated arrow locks on collection boxes with electronic locks.
"If (carriers) can utilize an electronic lock as opposed to carrying a key, it’s one less thing they have to have on their person," said Skowronek.
Dave Skowronek
Outside a Brown Deer post office, multiple people told Contact 6 they find the new boxes inconvenient. The slots in the new drive-up collection boxes are further from the curb, meaning people have to step out of their cars to drop off their letters.
Shanta and Cleo Rice want to see more of the high security collection boxes throughout Milwaukee.
"I would like to see it happen sooner, so that people can feel comfortable," said Shanta Rice.
To prevent mail theft, drop off outgoing mail inside the post office or hand it directly to the letter carrier. Remove mail from the mailbox every day. Also, keep an eye out for letter carriers and report suspicious behavior.
After all, it’s better than recovering from theft.
"It’s a day-to-day struggle," said Shanta Rice.
The Postal Service isn’t sharing how many collection boxes it plans to replace in the Milwaukee area or their locations. In a press release, it says it will "continue to evaluate" replacing more blue mailboxes with the high security boxes.
Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible.