POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The police departments of both Clive and Des Moines are investigating two separate mail-related thefts. Both agencies are working alongside the United States Postal Inspectors.
Clive police told Local 5 it is looking into whether the two incidents are related in any way.
Between 5:30 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, the latch on the mail drop box in front of the Clive Post Office was broken into.
“We don't have a vehicle description,” Clive Police Chief Mark Rehberg told Local 5. “We don't have suspects. We don't have anything right now.”
Clive police said that whoever did it stole a container full of mail that was inside the drop box. It’s unclear who’s mail was inside and how much it was worth.
“We don't have any idea how much was taken exactly,” Rehberg said. “We don't know how many pieces of mail were in there.”
Clive police is asking anyone who dropped off mail Monday night into Tuesday morning to reach out through email at askthepolice@cityofclive.com
Tuesday around 11 a.m., in Des Moines near 58th and Grand Avenue, a different suspect jumped into a postal carrier van and drove off. The van was recovered a short distance away. Des Moines police told Local 5 the suspect is unknown at this time.
Although incidents like these aren't super common, package theft is always around this time of year. According to one study from home security company Vivint, 80% of the Americans it surveyed had packages stolen during the 2022 holidays.
Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll recommends keeping a close eye on the online retailer’s package tracker to avoid theft.
“You can look in your orders page and see where that package is in its delivery and know when it's a few stops away,” Carroll said.
Carroll also advises selecting a hidden location to leave packages on the Amazon app.
“If you have a planter, or you maybe have something decorative on your porch, you can always ask the delivery driver to specifically find that item so that it's out of the way of people,” she said.