Decatur Police just sent out this note and sent along a photo…

On 07/14/2104 at approximately 8:16 am, Decatur police responded to a suspicious person call on East Parkwood Road.  A resident reported seeing a person taking mail out of mailboxes and provided a detailed description and direction of travel.  An officer located the suspect in the 1100 block of West Howard Avenue carrying a bag with a large amount of unopened mail.  When officers attempted to detain the suspect he tried to pull away but was handcuffed without further incident.  Mail belonging to a total of 36 victims, to include credit cards and a driver’s license, from various addresses in Decatur, DeKalb County and Atlanta was recovered.  The suspect, a 29-year-old male from Roswell, was charged with theft by taking, theft by receiving stolen property and obstruction of an officer.

Decatur officers have made several arrests in recent months for mail theft due to community members calling quickly and providing detailed descriptions and direction of travel after observing suspects taking items from mailboxes or going to multiple mailboxes.  We want to thank everyone for continuing to watch out for your neighbors and calling when suspicious behavior is observed.

Mail theft continues to be a problem in Decatur as well as the Metro-Atlanta area.  One of the easier prevention strategies is to install a locking mailbox insert or locking mailbox that allows mail to be placed through a slot by postal carriers but requires a key to open and retrieve the mail.

Photo provided by Decatur Police Department

Here we go again.  From Decatur PD…

Please do not place payments for outgoing bills in your mailbox. We are continuing to receive reports of thefts of outgoing mail that lead to fraud.

To prevent mail theft in your neighborhood:

• *Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery.
• *Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection mailboxes or at your local post office. Do not leave mail in unsecured mail receptacles.
• *Shred pre-approved credit applications, credit card receipts, bills, and other financial information you don’t want before discarding it in the trash or recycling bin.
• *If you plan a vacation, please notify your local post office to place a courtesy hold on your mail until you return from vacation.

• *Please report any type of mail theft to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Decatur Police Department.