Police say they received a report Sunday of mail stolen from several New Canaan properties.
Wilton Police on Nov. 7 contacted authorities in New Canaan to reporting finding mail on the side of a road in that town, according to a press release issued by NCPD Chief Leon Krolikowski.
The thieves hit mailboxes on Butler Lane, Hoyt Farm Road, Long Lots Road, Shagbark Road and Stoneleigh Road, Krolikowski said. It wasn’t immediately clear when the thefts occurred.
“Darien experienced similar mail thefts,” he said in the press release.
The thefts come amid a surge in illegal entries and larcenies from motor vehicles in New Canaan as well as stolen cars. Police in October also reported a rise in home burglaries.
Through the first nine months of 2021, New Canaan Police had received 41 reports of larcenies, compared to 44 in the same period the prior year, according to data shared at the Police Commission’s October meeting.
Krolikowski issued the following tips to help prevent mail thefts:
- BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: Get to know your neighbors, watch out for them, and report suspicious activity in your neighborhood immediately.
- CHECK YOUR MAIL OFTEN AND AVOID LEAVING MAIL IN YOUR RESIDENTIAL MAILBOX: Avoid leaving mail in your unsecure residential mailbox. Bring sensitive outgoing mail to the post office rather than leaving mail in your residential mailbox for pick-up.
- CONSIDER GETTING A LOCKING RESIDENTIAL MAILBOX: There are many residential mailbox options that allow mail to be delivered, but requires a key to retrieve the mail.
- REPORT MAIL THEFT TO OUR DEPARTMENT AND TO THE USPS at: https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MailTheftLink.html\
- REQUEST A VACATION HOLD EVEN IF YOU ARE ONLY AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS: More at: https://faq.usps.com/s/article/USPS-Hold-Mail-The-Basics
- SIGN UP FOR INFORMED DELIVERY SO THAT YOU WILL KNOW WHEN SENSITIVE MAIL WILL ARRIVE. More at: https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action
How about spending some of the American Rescue Plan Act money on hiring another police officer.
One of the criteria that the town funding bodies are setting on the proposed allocations is that they will not lead to a recurring expense for New Canaan.