'We are talking about a mail theft epidemic': Postal crime on the rise in Milwaukee County

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Wednesday, Jan. 11, police confirmed blue collection boxes were broken into in Wauwatosa and Shorewood in the last two weeks.

Shorewood police said a joint task force investigation is underway in Milwaukee County.

Officers throughout Milwaukee County are calling these mailbox break-ins crimes of opportunity.

The Postal Police Officer's Association criticized the postal service.

The PPOA said a lot of the mail crime could have been preventable.

"We are talking about a mail theft epidemic that’s never been seen before, postal workers are being attacked at staggering rates, mail is being stolen at staggering rates," said Frank Albergo, National President of the Postal Police Officers Association.

When CBS 58 News first spoke to Albergo, the postal crimes throughout Milwaukee County were already on his radar.

"What you're going to have is copycat crimes, the criminal is going to realize this is really easy, it's very lucrative, and it's just going to get worse and worse, so Milwaukee get ready," said Albergo.

Albergo went on to say the uptick in postal crimes began, when more than half the nation's uniformed postal police officers were relegated to protecting federal buildings and not the mail.

"As of August of 2020, uniform cops of the postal service can no longer protect carriers, can no longer protect mail and transit, and can no longer protect blue collection boxes," said Albergo

Now, people are thinking twice before dropping their mail in blue mailboxes.

"Maybe, I let it go for ten days or so until I realized this isn’t right, they should have received these checks, said Eva Hangenhofer of Wauwatosa.

Hangenhofer said in December she put checks in a USPS mailbox, but they never made it to their destination.

"She said you know, people have been breaking into the mailboxes, she said from now on just bring your mail directly into the post office," Sage said to Albergo.

"Do not use your blue collection boxes, because they are unsafe right now, they've been compromised," said Albergo.

CBS 58 did reach out to the U.S. Postal Service and have not heard back.

The PPOA is calling on Congress to enact tougher laws for postal crime, along with moving forward with a proposed mail prevention bill that will reinstate postal police officers throughout the nation.

Stealing mail is a federal crime that carries with it up to six years in prison for a single piece of mail.