LA Residents Suffering From a 30 Percent Rise in Mail Theft

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Between slowdowns in mail delivery and cuts to the United States Postal Service budget, now it seems Los Angeles residents are suffering with a 30% rise in mail theft so far this year. 

Porch pirates are everywhere. According to LAPD data, there were 300 reports of mail theft in Los Angeles during the first seven months of this year, a 30% increase from the same time period in 2019, when there were 230 criminal reports. And assaults on Postal Service Workers have increased too. 

FileVideo of another alleged theft from a mailbox

There is a lot of doorbell video to prove it. #MailTheft is up 30 percent in #LosAngeles so far this year. Porch pirates are at it everywhere, stealing mail & packages. #Hollywood is one hot spot. Assaults on #PostalService employees have increased too. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/G1ffkyFZjX

— Jon Baird (@KNXBaird) August 21, 2020

From 2010 to 2019, the city experienced a 320% rise in reports of mail theft and last year there were 437 instances of mail theft, just shy of the 2017 record of 444.

The mail thefts are quite possibly linked to the staty-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic when more Angelenos are ordering online with a build up of packages left outside from the USPS, Amazon and others. 

According to Crosstown LA, Hollywood was the top area for mail thefts, with high numbers in Westlake and Koreatown. 

The USPS's annual report the agency "aggressively" investigates reports of mail theft, but local LA post inspector Alyssa Rodriguez suggests resident still not leave mail unintended for extended periods. 

Attacks on postal workers in LA has been on the decline since 2016, but recently there has been a 71% increase. 

Americans are also in fear that the USPS won't be able to stand up under the weight of mail-in ballots for the general election after devastating cuts. 

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service will suspend its operational changes such as removing mailboxes, and processing equipment until after the presidential election on November 3.

Hoping to allay fears of Americans that USPS will not be able to handle mail-in voting, DeJoy added that there will be no changes to retail hours at Post Offices and overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed for workers.