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Protecting yourself
from mailbox vandalism
(from
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/tipvandl.htm)
Rural area mailboxes
are vulnerable to vandalism because they are usually
isolated, located on public thoroughfares, and
frequently not visible to the box owners from their
homes. City residential mailboxes are vandalized to a
lesser degree.
Mailboxes are considered federal property, and federal
law
(Title 18, United States Code, Section 1705), makes it a
crime to vandalize them (or to injure, deface or destroy
any mail deposited in them). Violators can be fined up
to $250,000, or imprisoned for up to three years, for
each act of vandalism.
Postal Inspectors recommend these actions to protect
your mailbox and any mail that may be inside it:
Immediately report theft, tampering or destruction of
mail or mailboxes to your postmaster. You’ll be asked to
complete PS Form 1510, Mail Loss and Rifling Report, or
PS Form 2016, Mail Theft and Vandalism Complaint. The
forms help the Postal Inspection Service determine
whether your problem is
isolated, or one
frequently experienced in your neighborhood.
Obtain Label 33 from
the Postal Inspection Service and affix it to your
mailbox. The sticker warns that willful damage to
mailboxes and theft of mail are crimes.
Keep your mailbox in good repair, and make sure it’s
properly installed. This may help prevent theft of the
mailbox itself.
If you have information on mailbox vandalism, call the
Postal Inspection Service to report it. Your cooperation
helps apprehend violators. You may provide your
information or complaints to your local postmaster or
your nearest Postal Inspector.
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