Vandals hit neighborhood mailboxes
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

NANCY NEEDHAM/Acorn Newspapers STILL STANDING, BUT AN EYESORE--These vandalized mailboxes in Thousand Oaks still function, but they wobble and lean. A vandal with a baseball bat was probably the culprit. Police and residents are teaming up to catch the perpetrators. Destroying a mailbox is not only a felony, it's a federal offense.

Mailboxes standing in a row like good little soldiers firmly planted in cement are being attacked with alarming frequency by vandals in the Meadow Wood and Symphony adjoining neighborhoods in Thousand Oaks.

"For the last year it's been really, really bad, with four to eight mailboxes hit a week," said Gail Russell of Thousand Oaks.

She'd known for a long time it had been happening but didn't realize the extent of the vandalism in her neighborhood until Veterans Day weekend last month, when her family's mailbox was knocked to the ground along with three outdoor lights, Russell said.

"My neighbor said she heard a sound that she thought was her ice maker at around 11 p.m.," Russell said.

That's when vandals broke down her mailbox and her outdoor lights, causing more than $600 in damage, she said.

The incident got her out talking to her neighbors, some of whom have replaced their broken mailboxes with white cast aluminum pedestal models.

"One neighbor, who's had it happen to them three times, is considering installing surveillance cameras," said Russell.

"That's not a bad idea. It might be useful," said Capt. Ron Nelson of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

Nelson said detectives are aware of the problem and are working to combat it. Although usually perpetrated by young people, the vandalism is not considered to be just a prank, he said. Each incident of mailbox vandalism is considered a misdemeanor if the damage is under $400 and carries a penalty of six months in the county jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Causing damage over $400 is a felony that could lead to a year in state prison and a higher fine possible, he said.

According to the U.S. Post Office website, damaging a mailbox is also a federal crime since mailboxes are federal property. That means the penalty goes up to $250,000 or up to three years in prison for each act.

"It's usually just a kid and the penalty would depend on the age and criminal background," Nelson said. "Restitution would need to be paid."

Your cooperation could help apprehend violators.
Mailboxes are considered federal property, and federal law makes it a crime to vandalize them. Violators can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism. Postal inspectors recommend these actions to protect your mailbox and any mail that may be inside it: Immediately report mailbox theft to your postmaster. If you have information on mailbox vandalism, call the Postal Inspection Service to report it at (626) 405-1200 or fax to (626) 405-1207. There's a form online at www.usps.com/postalinspectors/ mailthft/mlntrcvd.htm