Why Using Unsecured Mailbox Is a Bad Idea

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – In simpler times, homeowners flipped up the little red flag on their mailboxes to let the mail carrier know they had letters and other correspondence to mail.

That’s a bad idea, Bloomfield Township Police said. So is leaving having mail delivered to an unsecured mailbox if there’s no one around to pick it up.

A Bloomfield Township resident learned a hard lesson about opportunistic criminals, according to the police blotter released Thursday by township police. After returning home on Jan. 27, the victim found an opened mailbox with no mail inside, despite assurances from postal authorities that mail had been delivered to the address in the 1200 block of Marymar.

Residents are reminded to never pay bills, send checks, items of value, or personal information from their home mailbox unless it is a lockable mailbox,” Bloomfield Township police said in a report. “Such items should be mailed from a secured mailbox found at shopping centers or the Post Office.”

The mail theft was one of several recent reports to township police. Also on the blotter:

A resident in the 2700 block of Warwick told police he saw a suspicious-looking person dressed in dark clothing standing outside his residence and then attempt to enter his neighbor’s vehicle about 4 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The man told police he yelled at the suspect, who fled on foot. Officers were unable to locate the suspect.

Police also took several reports of thefts of personal items from unlocked vehicles in the 2800 block of Chestnut Run, 1200 block of Manorwood and 2400 block of Emerson during the overnight hours of Sunday, Jan. 31, and Monday, Feb. 1.

Police said the thefts are a reminder of the importance of removing personal items from vehicles and making sure all doors are locked.

Finally, police are asking the public’s help in identifying two retail fraud suspects who allegedly concealed $400 worth of merchandise in their coats at Lowe’s, 1801 Telegraph, around 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 23.

Store surveillance cameras caught the thefts on video, police said. Anyone who recognize the suspects, pictured below, is asked to call Bloomfield Township police at (248) 433-7755.