28 The Queens Courier • AUGUST 9, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com
28 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 9, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
Thinking outside the mailbox
In 2018, putting your Con Edison or Verizon payment into a blue U.S.
Postal Service mailbox on a Queens street corner has become as risky as leaving
a running car unattended, with the keys in the ignition.
It’s not a matter of if someone will steal it; it’s when it will happen.
Queens police offi cers and federal postal inspectors have been battling
mailbox theft s around the borough for more than a year, and the problem
doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to resolution.
Creative crooks have been “fi shing” checks and personal documents out of
the blue corner mailboxes that the public has come to rely upon for decades.
Th e boxes are designed to be a public convenience — a way to spare residents
from making the trek down to their local post offi ce.
Nowadays, they’re an invitation to small-time crooks and identity thieves
looking to get a hold of your money and personal information.
Th e NYPD and USPS have done what they could to make these mailboxes
more secure, especially by replacing the wide-mouthed openings on many of
the boxes with small mail slots ideal for thin envelopes.
Yet, not even that precaution has deterred thieves from stealing mail out of
the boxes. Aft er the 104th Precinct area (Glendale, Maspeth and Ridgewood)
saw a spike in mailbox theft s, one Queens councilman noted that “even the
new retrofi tted mailboxes are still being fi shed for mail.”
Meanwhile, the NYPD has repeatedly advised residents to avoid dropping
off mail aft er the appointed collection times (usually about 5 p.m. on weekdays).
Some have suggested that the public should steer clear of public mailboxes
altogether; the 111th Precinct, following mail theft s in Bayside last
month, tweeted that residents should avoid the boxes until they are replaced.
Th e USPS says it will spare no expense in safeguarding the public mailboxes.
More of the mailboxes will be fi tted with smaller slots and provided with
other security measures designed to keep the mail in its place until a postal
worker comes to pick it up.
But is it even worth the trouble? Letter-writing has become a lost art in the
age of email, instant messaging and social media. Many people pay their bills
by phone or online. Financial institutions will accept scans of important documents
transmitted by email or fax. Even the IRS would prefer that you e-fi le
your taxes rather than go through all the paperwork.
It’s time for the USPS to “think outside the mailbox” and phase out the
blue boxes in favor of a system of mail collection and delivery similar to that
in rural areas. Residents can leave their mail in their own mailboxes for the
postal worker to pick up when dropping off the day’s mail. Th is would shorten
the amount of time in which mail is left unattended, and further deter
thieves from committing theft .
THE QUEENS
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PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA
ART DIRECTOR
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CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
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CONTROLLER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
KATRINA MEDOFF, RYAN KELLEY, JENNA BAGCAL
SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
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Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
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STROLLING THROUGH FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK // PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @ahh.thor
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper!
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STORY: Tornado hits Whitestone and College Point, leaving fallen
trees, power lines and debris in its wake
SUMMARY: Residents in Whitestone and College Point experienced a
tornado late on the night of Aug. 2 that left evidence of its presence
throughout the streets.
REACH: 30,738 people (as of 8/7/18)
Publisher & E ditor Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Co-Publisher Joshua A. Schneps
Associate Publisher Bob Brennan
E ditor-In-Chief Robert Pozarycki
VP, Events, Web & Social Media Amy Amato-Sanchez
Art Director Nirmal Singh
S ocial Media Manager Emily Davenport
S taff Reporters Katrina Medoff, Ryan Kelly, Angela Matua
Suzanne Monteverdi
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Controller Maria Valencia
President & CEO Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Vice President Joshua A. Schneps
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
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editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Courier Sun
All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation,
indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The
publishers will not be responsible any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by
the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position
cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication.
VIctoria Media Services assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes
all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Courier SUN and its
employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the
publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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