With mailbox break-ins on the rise, Rocklin Police alert community and offer these tips

Rocklin has seen an uptick in mailbox break-ins over the past three weeks, the city’s Police Department announced in a news release.

The department has received reports of theft from and vandalism to community mailboxes in neighborhoods in areas near Lonetree and Blue Oaks boulevards, Lonetree and West Oaks boulevards and Park Drive as recently as last weekend, according to the release.

Multiple mailboxes were targeted in each neighborhood, with residents reporting the theft of packages and other mail.

The Rocklin Police Department issued several recommendations to reduce the loss of property from community mailboxes, specifically suggesting that residents hand their outgoing mail directly to their mail carrier or drop it off at their nearest post office and remove incoming mail as soon as possible.

According to the release, Rocklin residents should take measures to keep mail from piling up, including alerting the post office to place a hold on mail when they leave the area, opting out of junk mail and asking neighbors to pick up time-sensitive items such as checks or credit cards if they are not able.

The release also urged any Rocklin residents who live in an area where community mailboxes are used to report “any persons that are loitering or look suspicious” in the area of these mailboxes and to contact the postal inspector and the police right away if they witness or experience mail theft.