December 24, 2007
 

News staff writer

The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office began noticing an upswing in mail thefts throughout the lower valley shortly after Thanksgiving.

Deputy Don Dillenbeck said within the past three weeks, there have been 34 theft victims. He said discarded correspondence and bills have been dumped along roadways, particularly on the western edge of Hood River. He said these pieces of mail are gathered up and turned over to the post office for redistribution.

“This is the time of year when packages and gift cards are arriving so be watchful of suspicious activity in your neighborhood,’ said Dillenbeck.

Chief Deputy Jerry Brown, after being alerted to the increase number of mail theft reports, wrote a poem about the situation. Dillenbeck said the following prose might not win any awards, but it gets the point across: “Life is rough, times are hard; someone’s looking to steal your Christmas card.”

But it’s not only packages and cards bearing money or gift cards that thieves are looking for, said Dillenbeck.

He said in early December a Forden Road woman reported that $1,310 of unauthorized purchases had been made on two of her credit cards. She believed her mail had been stolen and the unknown suspect had obtained enough information to make her a victim of identity theft.

“Find out what time your mail is going to be delivered and either plan to pick it up within a short period of time or ask a neighbor to collect it for you,” said Dillenbeck.

He said nothing should be left in a box overnight and all outgoing mail should be dropped off at the nearest post office.

If financially possible, Dillenbeck recommends that all residents in the county invest in a locking mail box, which denies a thief easy access.