A Rise in Mailbox Break-Ins Around Bend and Redmond

Reports of people breaking into mailboxes in and around Deschutes County have spiked this fall season, according to officials, leading to an ongoing investigation.

Since Oct. 15, the Bend Police Department has seen an increase in reports of community mailboxes being forced open, or attempts to do so. Bend PD also noted reports of some mail found in piles on trails or empty lots.

“We have definitely received more reports of this in the past two weeks or so than we typically do,” said Sheila Miller with Bend PD.

“Cluster” maiboxes like these are among the boxes thieves have targeted, officials say. Credit: Julianna LaFollette

According to Miller, the locations of these community mailbox break-ins have varied greatly, with at least one in northwest, northeast and southeast Bend. The mail Bend PD recovered was found unopened.

While reports in Bend seem to have increased, a more significant problem has occurred in rural areas of Deschutes County.

“The ones that I’m aware of are in the rural areas between Bend and Redmond,” said Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels. “Although, I’ve read reports of others occurring around the county.”

The increase, Gunnels noted, has generally occurred this fall. As of Oct. 31, some individuals have been charged with mail theft in Deschutes County, but there are still more out there, according to Gunnels.

“Some of the mail thefts occurred after those individuals were in custody and in the jail, so those individuals were not involved in the later mail theft,” Gunnels told the Source Weekly.

Gunnels noted that there may have been ballots stolen and disposed of in recent weeks.

Typically, mail theft occurs when thieves go through mailboxes looking for letters containing cash or inactivated credit cards that they can activate and use quickly. This most recent rash of mail theft has occurred right around the time ballots were coming out, said Gunnells, so, there is a concern among residents that people were trying to steal ballots.

The usual motives for mail theft involve stealing something of value or identify theft, not ballots. Gunnels noted that there may have been ballots stolen and disposed of in recent weeks.

Deschutes County advises people to track their ballots or call the Deschutes County elections office and ask if their ballot has been received. If someone is missing their ballot, the County is able to mail them a replacement ballot, provided the request is received with sufficient time for mailing, or they can pick up a replacement ballot in person at the County election office.

Reports and posts from residents about mailbox break-ins have also surged on social media in the last few weeks.

Colin DuPlantis, who lives on the east side of Bend outside of the city boundary, reported that his mailbox was one that was targeted.

Being in a rural area, he shares a “cluster” mailbox with a dozen or so of his neighbors. Last week, he went to his box and noticed that the mail lock, which the postal carrier uses to open the entire unit, had drill marks, metal shavings and scratches around the lock, indicating an attempted break-in.

While he later found out that the thieves were not successful in opening his box, other boxes in the area were reportedly broken into. DuPlantis didn’t get his mail for a few days as the post office had to replace the lock.

Bend PD recommends people pick up their mail every day, even if it’s in locked community boxes. People should also be cautious about mailing cash or leaving cash or credit cards in outgoing mail, added Gunnels.

Jason Wall with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the situation, citing an active investigation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, responsible for defending the nation’s mail system from illegal or dangerous use, was also unable to comment due to ongoing investigations into the crimes.

“Utilizing proven fraud detection and loss prevention strategies and countermeasures, Postal Inspectors will continue to actively identify attempts to compromise the mail system our Nation is depending on during this critical time,” Justin Lothyan told the Source Weekly in an email. “In doing so, the Inspection Service will be working closely with our state and local law enforcement partners, as well the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to respond to and investigate election crimes involving the U.S. Mail.”

According to the USPIS, inspectors arrested nearly 9,000 suspects for theft of mail and packages from 2018 to 2023. A March 2024 report concluded that beginning in 2020 and continuing into 2023, the Postal Service experienced a nearly 139% increase in reports of high-volume mail theft, with 20,574 reports in 2019 and 49,146 reports in 2023.