The drive-through mailbox at the Great Falls Post Office was pried open and its contents removed sometime on Aug. 26 or 27, Great Falls Citizens Association leaders said in an e-mail to members in September.
According to the message, Great Falls Postmaster Marcus Esposito told GFCA leaders that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the matter, as mail theft is a federal crime. Postal patrons who may have deposited mail during that time frame should monitor any payments mailed and take appropriate steps to verify their mail reached its destination, Esposito told the group.
Among several steps being contemplated by the U.S. Postal Service is replacing the Great Falls Post Office’s familiar blue collection box in the driveway with a new high-security version, GFCA leaders wrote.
In May, the Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service announced actions to protect postal employees and improve the security of the nation’s mail and packages, as threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail-fraud incidents have escalated, the GFCA note read.
As part of this effort, the U.S. Postal Service will install 12,000 high-security blue collection boxes during the next fiscal year.
The new boxes do not have drop-off slots that allow drivers to stop and deposit mail without leaving their cars, but Esposito told the group the Postal Service has to weigh the loss of customer convenience against mail security.
