Mountain View apartment complexes continue to deal with rash of mail thefts

In February, Mountain View police arrested a married couple after a sting operation, when they were found with more than 1,500 pieces of mail belonging to roughly 1,000 different residents. 

The major bust didn't stop the problem. Many residents living in apartment complexes in Mountain View have not been getting mail at their homes for months and the postal office is at a loss to find a permanent fix to the mail theft problem.

Thousands of Mountain View residents are coming to pick up their mail at a PostalAnnex on La Avenida Street.

"It makes my life not feel convenient," resident Penny said. "I have to come here and pick my mail up at a certain time and location."

Mail pick up is only available on Wednesdays and Fridays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Penny said she's been doing this for about two months now because of a rash of mail thefts.

"I just feel weird," she said. "Why do people steal mail?"

According to the postal office, thieves are targeting large mailboxes at apartment and condominium complexes, getting quick access to a large haul.

"The issue with that is the residents have the mail stolen, credit card stolen," Jerone Oriel with the Mountain View post office said. "Confidential information like tax information and social security stolen as well."

Oriel said this has been going on for a long time. He adds that they fix the mailboxes quickly, but thieves are even faster at breaking into them again.

"When we fix that, maybe a few days after they come back and they do exactly the same thing," he said.

Oriel said they are working with apartment and condominium complexes to figure out a permanent solution. One idea has been to create some sort of enclosure to make it harder for the thieves to break into. Residents are clearly frustrated and are hoping to get mail delivered to their homes soon.

"I worry about why my life change like this," Penny said. "I worry about the safety and everything."