CHICAGO (CBS) — A CBS 2 investigation.
Thieves in Chicago after private mail. There are pictures of two of them at work. CBS 2 learned how they’re getting through locked doors.
CBS 2’s Marissa Parra explains why the postal service is so concerned about these thefts.
Disturbing video inside a South Loop apartment shows an unnerving trend: Thieves in Chicago with a key that has access to an unknown number of apartment buildings and all the mail inside them.
It’s why postal carrier Lavone Merritt keeps her guard up and her hood down.
“I mean you’re walking down the street to keep the wind out your face, but you still have to be able to see,” Merritt said.
She knows how many eyes are on one small key.
“It’s always connected to me. It’s always hooked to me. I don’t let it out of my sight,” Merritt said.
Inside a USPS cart, little pieces of paper with big secrets. Bank statements, love letters, Social Security and medical information. Things you don’t want strangers to look through.
But that’s exactly what’s happening in the Chicago area. Surveillance video from days ago in the South Loop showed two guys with their own key. Using it not just to get into an apartment building, but also opening up the entire mailbox unit inside and scavenging through the private lives of the people who live there.