In addition, the postal service did not restrict the number of replacement keys so it's unclear how many keys are floating around in major cities, including Chicago. The report also disclosed that the number of arrow keys in circulation is unknown and keys are not adequately reported lost or stolen. The report's main findings found Postal Management controls over master postal keys, known as arrow keys, were ineffective. Postal Service released an audit report on Arrow Key Management Controls. In August 2020, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. 'No one wants to step forward because they know they have a serious problem and they don’t want to admit it,' said Spinello. Guy Spinello, then the North Central Director of Associated Locksmiths of America, showed us then how easy postal keys are to make or copy. NBC 5 Investigates first exposed thieves using stolen US master postal keys prior to COVID-19 back in February 2020. Massari has pleaded not guilty.ĬHICAGO'S FORECAST: January Gloom Continues Massari is in custody and due back in August on a burglary charge. Chicago police reports indicate that Massari was in possession of two master postal keys, seven other sets of mail keys and a bunch of mail with social security, credit and debit cards. Barker said many of the burglary teams are co-ed with the women referred to as joggers because they pose as runners during the day but are actually casing apartment buildings for packages and mail to steal at night.Īliyah Massari was pulled over by Chicago police in February 2020 in the West Loop for a routine traffic stop. The alert described the offenders as two men and two women working as a team. Recently, Chicago Police issued community alerts after several high-rise buildings in Ravenswood, Lincoln Park, Uptown and Lincoln Square were hit by mail and package thieves. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here. They use a pry tool or facsimile key that allows them to get into these places and use the same key to get into everyone's mailboxes so they're not going to homes but they're going to condo and apartment buildings because there's a large bank of mailboxes for them to utilize and take everything.'įeeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Baker said, 'What they are doing is simple.

Nearing retirement after 30 years of service, Sgt. 'We find out about it when somebody has been notified that they were a victim of a credit card fraud or the bank has alerted them that they are missing money.' Most of the time, the victim is unaware that anything has even happened,' said Sgt. The 19th District covers Lincoln Square, Uptown, Sheridan Park, North Center, Ravenswood, Lakeview, Wrigleyville, Boystown, Roscoe Village, Southport Corridor, Sheffield & DePaul and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. Patrick Barker said the 19th police district has received calls about stolen mail almost every day. They are thieves using real and counterfeit keys to steal mail and people’s identities.įor the last year and a half, Chicago Police Sgt. postal keys, but they are not postal carriers. These are the most updated numbers that the agency has put out.Through rain, sleet or snow, especially in the dead of night, they carry what appear to be U.S.

Postal Inspection Service received the first year of the pandemic, less than 0.5-percent of them or 1,090 resulted in mail theft investigations. Kemie Green, Postal Inspector Public Information OfficerĪ previous CBS46 investigation uncovered that mail-related complaints are rarely investigated. In order to maintain the integrity of those investigations, Postal Inspectors cannot provide additional details, but we will continue in our ongoing efforts to combat mail theft. The Inspection Service utilizes a variety of preventive and investigative tools to identify and arrest those individuals responsible for these crimes. Spokesperson Kemie Green denied our repeated requests for an interview but sent CBS46 Investigates this statement: The Postal Inspection Service or USPIS is the agency that handles crimes that involve the mail. “We share the victims frustration in this.” The Duluth Police Department doesn’t have any jurisdiction to investigate a possible crime on the post office property, so when we get mail theft reports, we send it to the post office and their postal inspectors will do the investigation” said Duluth Public Information Officer, Ted Sadowski. “We’re posed into a weird position between jurisdictions.

Usps master key stolen