Continuing her years-long effort to combat mail theft in Queens, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng announced Tuesday that she successfully persuaded the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to repair and enhance the security of four green relay boxes in Forest Hills after they were broken into and mail was stolen.
Green relay boxes store mail and are often located next to blue collection boxes throughout the borough. Over the past few years, thieves have targeted these boxes and stolen mail from them, including checks, prescriptions, bank and credit card statements, and other personal and sensitive information. This information is often used to steal money and identity data from Queens residents.
The four relay boxes that were recently broken into by mail thieves are located at the corners of Greenway South and Summer Street; Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue; Russell Place and Ascan Avenue and at 70th Road and 110th Street.
After Meng contacted USPS officials, she urged the agency to fix the four relay boxes immediately, and the agency swiftly installed stronger padlocks to prevent additional mail theft.
“I thank the Postal Service for being responsive to these relay boxes in Forest Hills,” Meng said. “But mail theft continues to impact our borough and more permanent solutions are needed, and that includes higher security boxes and locks.”
Heidi Chain, the longtime president of the 112th Precinct Community Council and a member of Community Board 6, appreciates the swift action.
“I would like to thank Congresswoman Meng for the prompt attention to this very important matter,” Chain said. “The secure delivery of the mail is of the utmost importance to our community. Congresswoman Meng has always been responsive to the needs of our community, and it is a pleasure to work with the Congresswoman and her team. I truly appreciate the fast response once I notified them about mail being stolen from these relay boxes.”
Meng also renewed her call for more secure relay and collection boxes across Queens. Last year, she secured the first-ever federal probe into Queens mail theft. The investigation revealed numerous issues with how the Postal Service addressed the problem. The audit made several recommendations that are currently being implemented, and these improvements include enhanced security for boxes. Full implementation of the recommendations is expected to be completed in April.
“I look forward to all the recommendations of the mail theft audit being implemented so that Queens is no longer plagued by this problem, and local residents are no longer forced to worry about their mail ending up in the hands of crooks,” Meng said.
She added that if her constituents see issues with relay boxes, collection boxes, or overall mail theft, they can report the problems to her office at 718-358-MENG.
