Laurel

Laurel residents say mail was opened, stolen, dumped

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A Maryland neighborhood is pleading for help after they say their mail was stolen, ripped apart and tossed around in their parking lot. 

Residents of the Towns of Westside in Laurel say it has happened twice in the past two weeks. They are now asking the post office to take action. 

Resident Tani Satcher said she was on her way to pick up her mail when she noticed her neighbors picking up pieces of their mail from the floor. 

“I was totally floored because I came out to get my mail and I saw my neighbors and they were picking up stuff,” Satcher said. 

Resident Marianna Solorzano said it first happened on March 21. 

“At first it’s hard to believe, but then when you start thinking about it, you think, What’s going on here?” Solorzano said. 

Pieces of mail and packages were scattered and stolen in front of the community’s mailboxes. Solorzano and Satcher along with the homeowners association president say they alerted their mail carrier and took pictures for evidence. The thieves returned

“Stop, stop invading people’s property," Satcher said. "That’s like a violation. You’re actually touching something that doesn’t belong to you.” 

News4 reached out to the U.S. Postal Service to find out if an investigation was launched last month. As of publishing, News4 has not heard back. 

The federal agency said it's working to crackdown on these types of crimes. 

So far, the USPS says it has made 73% more arrests for letter carrier robberies this fiscal year compared to last year. 

The agency says it has taken several actions nationwide, including deploying 15,000 hardened blue boxes, and installing 28,000 electronic locking mechanisms. Almost 9,000 more hardened blue boxes are set to be installed. 

“To have more security maybe around the area, we also need light around the community. It’s very dark during the night time,” Solorzano said. 

Other members of the community are asking for accountability and hoping this doesn’t happen again. 

The USPS recommends asking customers to not let incoming or outgoing mail sit in the mailbox. Instead, drop it off or pick it up at the local post office. Also, sign up for informed delivery notifications alerting about package deliveries.

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