On Monday morning, a post on local Social Media groups claimed there had been an armed robbery of a US Postal Service mail carrier in Stamford.
The comment appears to have originated on Nextdoor and talked about the alleged robbery. Someone replied that it was actually in Greenwich. Then someone screenshot a series of comments from Nextdoor and shared them on Greenwich Connections on Facebook.
Greenwich Police Captain Mark Zuccerella issued a statement Monday afternoon to clarify the situation, noting there was no robbery of a US Postal Service mail carrier in Stamford over the weekend.
However, he said, “There was an incident on Friday involving a USPS mail carrier and an area resident involving a Airsoft gun. The case was not a robbery and the subject was arrested.”
Zuccerella said he could not comment further on that arrest since it did not occur in Greenwich.
But he said, “The Stamford case appears to be an isolated incident and not related to the area wide problem of mail theft.”
In the past few months, Zuccerella has shared News Flashes regarding mail theft on the police social media platforms and advised how residents can reduce their chance of being victimized.
He added that when Greenwich Police did have a robbery of a mail carrier on Lake Ave in January, they put of the information as fast as possible. In that incident there were no injuries or weapons reported.
[Mail Carrier Robbed in Greenwich; Police Seek Tips January 6, 2023]
“Mail theft continues to be a problem in our area,” Zuccerella noted. “The crime is easy to perpetrate and can take over a month for a victim to realize they were victimized.”
Back in December Greenwich Police sent notice through local media of an increase in stolen checks from mailboxes.
[Greenwich Police share tips with residents after increase in stolen checks from mailboxes Dec 22, 2022]
Also in December the US Postal Service sent a release to media indicating there was a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspect(s) who have been involved in several robberies of USPS mail carriers in several towns and cities in Connecticut, including Greenwich, but also Stamford, West Haven, Hartford, Waterbury and Middletown.
[US Postal Inspection Service Offers $50,000 Robbery Reward Dec 27, 2022]
Zuccerella explained that GPD works with the USPS Inspectors Officer on mail theft and related investigations, but they are difficult to investigate due to factors such as:
- Identifying where was the mail stolen – Stolen from the residential mailbox, USPS blue bin, or from the mail box where the mail was delivered.
- Location where the stolen check or identity used or cashed – All of our stolen mail has the checks deposited on-line or at a bank outside the Tri-State area.
- We have put out information detailing our ORCA unit has arrested suspects using victim’s identifies which were obtained through mail theft in another State. All these victims had no idea their check or identity was stolen until we advised them.
- Ease of the crime. Everyone has a mailbox which is for the most part always unattended, and not all the USPS Blue Bins in Greenwich have been updated with anti-theft measures.
“We will continue to investigate all calls for mail theft we receive and will continue to work with the USPS,” Zuccerella added.
Police suggest residents to use on-line banking or drop off mail inside the actual Post Office or hand to the mail carrier, and to monitor their accounts daily to catch any suspicious activity.
They also request the public to contact GPD at 203-622-8004 (24hrs) at the time they see suspicious activity near their, or a neighbor’s, mailbox or a USPS Blue Bin.
Vehicle description, registration plate and direction of travel are information that can be relayed to the Dispatcher.