I was recently driving through my neighborhood, and I noticed something that caught my attention. I saw that many mailboxes in the area were being vandalized, and I was wondering to myself,
Why would someone be doing this, and how could I catch mailbox vandalism in action?
I started doing research and will be sharing my findings in this post.
It is possible to catch and prevent mailbox vandalism. The only way to catch vandalism is for community members to be vigilant and report incidents to the authorities. You can detain the person and contact the authorities about the incident. If everyone works together, we can reduce instances of vandalism.
Mailbox vandalism can be prevented and reduced if people prioritize catching the culprits in the act. When people are going around in the neighborhood and pay attention to what’s happening and see that there are people busy vandalizing mailboxes, they can help authorities to bring them to justice.
How Do You Catch Vandals Vandalizing Mailboxes?
If you acknowledge someone actively tampering with someone’s mailbox, ask them what they are busy doing or notify the nearest police station of what is happening. Vandalism is difficult to bring under control, but it is possible if people are committed to working together and making it stop.
There are ways and means to bring vandals to justice and to get vandalism to be reduced. If people help one another and communicate with the authorities when vandalism occurs, they can bring them to justice.
It is not guaranteed to help entirely stop vandalism to mailboxes, but it can help prevent mailbox vandalism and reduce the number of times that vandalists act. Community watch programs go a long way in preventing petty crimes.
How to Prevent Mailbox Theft
Mail and mailbox theft is something that people can do so easily, and proving who is responsible can be so frustrating and aggravating for the people affected by the theft or vandalism.
Preventing and bringing the person or persons responsible to book can be so hard to do if you don’t know who is responsible or there isn’t any real proof or evidence of who is responsible.
I have researched mailbox vandalism and theft, and there are some suggestions that you can try and follow to limit this incident from happening to you. I wanted to share what I discovered about how to catch mailbox vandalism and what measures to take to protect your mailbox from becoming the next target of vandals.
- Keep your mailbox taken care of and in good condition.
- You can consider getting label 33. Label 33 is a label that you can purchase directly from the post office. Label 33 warns thieves and vandals that mail theft and any form of vandalism to a mailbox is a federal crime and that they can be prosecuted for the act.
- The repositioning of mailboxes that aren’t clearly visible can also help.
- Getting a metal mailbox is also an option as they are harder to be vandalized or stolen if properly mounted.
- Install cameras on your mailbox is also an option; follow up on the laws allowing this.
- If you have children, speak to them about mailbox theft and vandalism and educate them that it is a federal crime and that they can be fined or prosecuted.
- Have a reinforced mailbox installed. Ensure that the brackets are made from durable steel and that you have used galvanized bolts to install the mailbox.
Are Mailbox Cameras Legal?
If the mailbox is situated on your property, or even if it is your property, it is within your rights to install a camera on your mailbox. But if the mailbox belongs to U.S postal services, it is not allowed.
According to the U.S postal code, mailboxes are being protected by federal law, and anyone who tampers with mailboxes will be fined up to $250,000 or can even be prosecuted and imprisoned for up to 3 years for each act of mailbox vandalism.
If the mailbox does not belong to you and the mailbox is the property of the U.S postal service. Then putting up cameras on the mailbox may be considered a crime and a violation of the mail law as well.
If you want to use a security camera in your mailbox, experts suggest that you contact the U.S postal services and find out more information regarding this matter. For your safety and the safety of your wallet, make sure that it is not against the law and that you cannot be prosecuted after installing the cameras in the mailbox.
Suppose you have permission from the authorities and from the U.S postal services to install cameras in your mailbox. In that case, it is recommended that you install a very small video camera that won’t be easily visible to criminals and that they won’t be aware of the camera that is potentially recording them in the act of vandalizing the mailbox.
The video footage you can supply from the cameras can be supplied to the authorities in case of an investigation if vandalism has been done to your mailbox. Make sure to report the manner to the authorities in the correct manner.
If Your Mailbox Was Vandalized, What Can You Do?
If you know of anyone who has vandalized your mailbox or any other mailbox, you can report it to the U.S postal inspectors or authorities. If you see a person tampering or vandalizing a mailbox, report it to the police immediately and try and keep the guilty party there until the police can get there.
In the event that you catch someone in the act of vandalizing a mailbox and they run away, see if it is possible for you to follow them so that the police can question them and have them prosecuted or fined.
Suppose your mailbox is regularly vandalized. You might want to consider having a reinforced mailbox installed. Speak to experts manufacturing mailboxes to find out the best and strongest options for mailboxes that aren’t easy targets for vandalism.
There are manufacturers of mailboxes that specializes in custom mailboxes with strong and sturdy features and even locks that can lock your mailbox for safety. Reinforced mailboxes are known to be more expensive, and they cost more in general, but they are worth the investment.
Is It Illegal to Make Your Mailbox Indestructible?
If your mailbox is not secured and vulnerable to criminals vandalizing your mailbox, it might be a target for them because it will be so easy for them to target. But if you take measures to make the mailbox more protected and not so easy for them to vandalize, they might think twice.
According to law experts, although it is your property, if you booby trap your property and someone is injured, you can be liable for the injury and might be sued. An example of this is if you want to prevent someone from vandalizing or tampering with your mailbox, and you rig a system that causes injuries to their eyes.
If you, for instance, set up the mailbox that will explode when someone beats it, you might be liable and even criminally charged. The federal government can even go so far as to prosecute you since delivering mail to the mailbox is the federal government’s job.
You may be better off purchasing a really sturdy and very strong mailbox that will still comply with the rules and regulations of the U.S postal services as their rules and regulations are very strict, so make sure of the measures you take to make your mailbox more secure carries the approval of the U.S postal services.
Incidentally, the U.S postal service has very strict rules regarding mailboxes in the U.S. they have to be within a certain range above the ground, and if you feel that your mailbox may not comply with these rules or with the regulations of the postal service, then it is best to ask.
It is best to take advice from them and make sure that what you are doing to your mailbox is acceptable to them and that it is allowed so that you won’t get in trouble according to their regulations. The federal government can issue hefty fines if the regulations are not followed, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of the law.
Final Thoughts
Mailbox vandalism is a crime that is not easy to control or catch the culprits. When it comes to preventing mailbox vandalism, it is not always easy, but it is possible.
If everyone in the community works collectively with the postal service authorities and with the police, it is much easier to control it and even bring the culprits to book.
If you notice that vandalism was done to your mailbox, also report the incident to the authorities. So that they can be aware of what has happened and, in turn, can be on the lookout during patrols.
If the community is also informed that vandals are in the area, everyone can be on the lookout for troublemakers.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies…I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house.