You Can Protect Your Country Mailbox From Theft and Vandalism
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For decades youngsters have targeted country mailboxes for Friday and Saturday night batting practices. This bashing of mailboxes is actually a Federal crime. Vandalism of any kind is covered in the United States Postal Service (USPS) regulations, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1705.
The section states “Whoever willfully or maliciously injures, tears down or destroys any letter box or other receptacle intended or used for the receipt or delivery of mail, or breaks open the same…shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years.”
Mailbox bashing alone is not the only crime country mailbox users suffer. Clearly, crimes involving mailboxes fall into two categories: Mail Theft and Mailbox Vandalism. Anyone caught violating a mailbox or stealing mail has committed a crime. It does not matter that the basher or thief had not used the stolen mail to commit identity theft. That intention is assumed and prosecution ensues.
The best possible solution is to install a heavy duty steel locking mailbox. Impenetrable locking mailboxes are as strong as Fort Knox. When they were tested against all other locking mailboxes available today, these high performance steel locking mailboxes exceeded all others.
Tests included being dragged 100 feet by a dump truck, having a stick of TNT inserted through the mail slot, and being struck by boulders, baseball bats and pumpkins. The results of such insults were that the mailboxes remained intact, while mail was turned to ashes (so it could not be stolen!), pumpkin pudding and broken bats lay on the ground beside the surviving mailboxes.
With the right locking mailbox, you can count yourself free from ever having concerns about bashing or theft.
Some people place the USPS Label 33 warning sticker of their mailboxes. The sticker is designed to deter vandals and thieves.
You are encouraged by law enforcement and the USPS Investigative Service, to report any suspicious activity you notice in your neighborhood. If you can give them a license plate number of any vehicle you witness as being used by criminals, you are giving information that may help lead to conviction. Another good bit of evidence you might be able to provide is a photo or video of criminal activity and its perpetrators.
Finally, as you know, you must collect your mail daily and never let it accumulate.
Research steel locking mailboxes and choose one that will solve your country mailbox need for years to come. See that what you choose is constructed of 2 gauge thick steel. Keep in mind that there are many choices of 18 and 14 gauge steel locking mailboxes that did not withstand the rigorous testing and are not as strong as Fort Knox.
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