The Lihu’e area postmaster called the vandalism on four post office boxes at the Lihu’e post office last Thursday night a random attack, and the KPD has offered to patrol the area more at night to help deter other would-be
The Lihu’e area postmaster called the vandalism on four post office boxes at the Lihu’e post office last Thursday night a random attack, and the KPD has offered to patrol the area more at night to help deter other would-be thieves.
Postmaster Mark Gowan made the report to police, who are continuing to investigate the incident.
Gowan said that after a customer reported their box was broken into, it was determined that locks on three others were also broken, all in the same row and in an area toward the rear of the post office, which is not as well-lit as toward the front lobby.
It was determined later that a screwdriver-type tool was probably used. Locks were changed on all four boxes and customers were given instructions for personally reporting the crime.
“Advertisements were still in two of the boxes so we know they probably didn’t get anything out of those,” Gowan said, but he said it should be some time before they discover whether any mail was stolen.
Mailbox vandals can be fined up to $250,000, or imprisoned for up to three years for each act.
After 23 years in the postal service Gowan said he finds more vandalism and a disregard for the postal service. Recent reports have included mail theft and damages to residential mailboxes, mainly in the Wailua and Kapahi area.
Gowan asked that people who experience a mail theft should file a police report and go to their district’s post office to fill out either Form 2016 for vandalism or mail theft or Form 1510 for a postal inspection.
For more information: http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
