Raleigh mail thefts rising as postal worker's arrow key stolen

New numbers show criminals are stealing more mail in Raleigh than in recent years.

Police said someone stole a postal worker's "arrow key" which can open any mailbox.

The one key is costing tens of thousands of dollars for people, businesses, even a church child care center.

Police say this has been happening since April of last year. That’s when a USPS worker was robbed, and their master key, which can open any post office box, was taken.

Since then, there’s been a spike in check thefts with no end in sight.

The story is laid out in black and white. Police reports detailing 26 check thefts that police believe may be tied to the loss of one arrow key.

The checks were taken from post office boxes around the city.

The victims include residents of Raleigh and Clayton, at least nine businesses, even the Infant Toddlers Center at Raleigh’s first Baptist Church.

In that case, thieves cashed the check for a whopping $14,093.50.

Raleigh police and USPS inspectors are looking into the missing arrow key, and the thefts, but so far, no arrests have been made.

The crime is part of a nationwide series of thefts of arrow keys.

The postal service is aware of the problem and taking action.

A spokesperson pointed us to this statement, which says the postal service is rolling out “10,000 high security blue boxes” nationwide, along with nearly 50,000 new electronic locks, “to make arrow keys less valuable for criminals.”

WRAL News asked if any of those new high-tech boxes or locks have been or will be deployed in North Carolina. That spokesperson declined to respond.

But if those safety improvements are coming, they may take a while.

An investigation from the post office’s own internal watchdog published September 2023 found that the postal service doesn’t have a timeline “to fully implement planned initiatives to address mail theft.”

Now what to do about these thefts?

Raleigh police say the best way to protect your money is if you have to mail a check, take it inside the post office and hand it directly to a postal worker.

Or, at the very least, use the drop box inside.