AUSTIN, Texas — Residents at Mesa Village in northwest Austin feel their privacy has been invaded after two men were captured on camera stealing mail and packages from their mailboxes earlier this month.
One resident, Carole Johnson, told KVUE the thefts have been going on for months and the property management recently installed heavy-duty metal fencing with a keypad to prevent thieves from gaining access to the mailboxes.
"I heard that there had been a master key, a post office master key, stolen. I don't know if that's accurate or not, but there were thefts at that time months ago and that's why we put up the nice new gates that didn't keep them out," Johnson said.
The video below, which is dated April 2, 2023, shows two men dressed in unknown uniforms as they rummage through several mailboxes and drop them into what appears to be a basket.
"It needs to be handled quickly," Johnson said.
Austin Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) said she is aware of the video and explained mail theft is an issue across the city.
"Over the last year, I've gotten more and more complaints from people in the community about these mail thefts," Kelly said. "And my biggest concern is that in the absence of action, then they will continue to happen."
On Wednesday, Kelly sent out a memo to Interim City Manager Jesús Garza urging him to send a letter to the postmaster general to request a change to master keys throughout the city.
"I believe this is a good first step to determining a plan of action that we as a council can take in order to prevent future mail thefts. It's my understanding that the information that I get back will give us a pathway that we can take to productively address the growing problem of mail theft in Austin," Kelly said.
KVUE reached out to the USPS about the incident at Mesa Village and to see if there have been any reports of master keys stolen.
A spokesperson said USPS couldn't confirm the incident but it has received reports of mail theft in Austin:
"Inspectors take every report of mail theft seriously. They use a variety of investigative tools and actively work with our local law enforcement partners and with the community to identify those responsible for mail theft. In order to protect the integrity of the investigations, additional details cannot be released."
USPS officials added steps to help avoid becoming a victim such as not letting mail sit in your mailbox and checking your mailbox every day.
Mail theft is a state and federal crime, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, and unauthorized possession of a USPS key is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to USPS.