ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver7 is investigating after a viewer contacted us with concerns following a mail theft at an apartment complex down the street from Broncos Headquarters in Englewood.
Marge Gann has lived at the Dove Valley apartments for more than six years.
"It's normally quiet," she said.
Gann reached out to Denver7 after thieves targeted her community mailbox at the beginning of this month. She said repairs still haven't started.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office confirmed maintenance discovered the door to the community mailbox had been broken into. A spokesperson said at this point in time, detectives have no leads.
On Friday, Denver7 saw that crowbar marks were still visible on the door. Inside the room, which is only meant for carriers, metal doors were bashed in.
"They were violent inside," said Gann. "They bent the doors up, and what mail was left was all over the floor, but it looks like they took everything."
Gann said she is missing important medical paperwork for her daughter and a package.
She showed us a letter from the Dove Valley management team that was sent out to residents on August 6. It said in part, "We are aware of the current situation with the mailboxes and understand the inconvenience this may be causing…"
- Read the full letter below:
For now, the community is picking up their mail at the Greenwood Village Post Office.
This isn't the first time Denver7 has covered reported mail theft in the Denver metro area. In January, we reported on a similar issue in Denver's Central Park neighborhood, where thieves broke into mailboxes and stole credit cards, checks, and other important documents.
With incidents like this on the rise across the country, Denver7 reached out to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for tips on how to protect your mail.
USPS provided the following advice for customers:
- Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
- Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners, including inside your local Post Office or at your place of business or by handing it to a letter carrier.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
- Become involved and engaged in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
- Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
While Gann waits for repairs to begin, she said she's sharing her story for awareness.
"I just want people to be safe with an ordinary activity that you take for granted, but it's an important one," she said.
Denver7 reached out to Greystar, which owns the complex, to find out when repairs will begin, but we're still waiting to hear back.
