BOULDER, Colo. — Under the cover of darkness, Boulder Police Department (BPD) arrested a man they believe is likely part of a larger theft ring targeting blue USPS boxes across the metro area.
According to Boulder Police, on July 17, two officers pulled into a post office and minutes later saw a car pull up to the blue boxes. They saw a man open one and grab a bunch of mail that was inside.
The officers followed the man when he left and took him into custody after a traffic stop, Boulder Police said. In addition to the stolen mail, the man also had other people’s identification cards, credit cards, and counterfeit keys with him. Detectives believe those keys were used to open and steal mail from the blue boxes.
"It feels great making an arrest," BPD detective Taylor Hickam said. "I’m really thankful for Watch 3, the night shift officers, who made that arrest. It’s a great breakthrough to find this one person and possibly link them to other people."
Hickam said she's been tracking this type of crime in Boulder since August 2023. Incidents continued through the spring.
"In April, during tax season, we saw a big uptick in this again, and that’s when we decided to be proactive about this and try to get as many people aware of what was going on to try and stop people from sending checks through the outside mailboxes," Hickam said.
“This was some really good policework coordinated by our Watch 3 officers and investigated by Detective Hickam,” Interim Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. “This also appears to be a highly organized theft ring that extends far outside of Boulder. Our community is only one part of this criminal enterprise.”
Due to the ongoing investigation, police declined to release the man's name. Hickam confirmed the man is from out-of-state.
"I don’t know if there are also individuals here that are linked with the criminal enterprise," Hickam said.
Police said the arrest, which was announced Thursday, came after a months-long investigation. Despite a suspect being in custody, police asked residents to avoid using the blue boxes or personal mailboxes to mail financial checks and other sensitive information.
They suggested the following safety tips.
- Make the payment online or in person, especially for large amounts, such as property taxes
- Put tracking information on your payment
- If you can't obtain tracking, place the check in an inside drop box
- Follow up to confirm that the entity has received your payment
Earlier this month, Boulder Police said they had taken multiple reports about checks being stolen from the blue boxes and said the amount stolen topped $300,000.
Many of the stolen checks were headed to or coming from the IRS or the Boulder County Treasurer’s Office. Police said thieves were even changing the amounts on some of the checks.
"They said, 'Hey, I put a check in the mail,'" Hickam explained. "A lot of them have been to pay their taxes and they realize it didn’t make it there. And when they go to their bank statements, they see the payee, the name’s been changed so if it was to the IRS, it’s instead somebody’s name."
If you think you might have been a victim, contact the Boulder Police non-emergency dispatch at 303-441-3333 or file a report online.
The U.S. Postal Service is working with Boulder Police on its investigation and supporting other affected law enforcement agencies. Last October, USPS deployed more than 10,000 electronic, blue mailboxes that are more secure than the original mailboxes.
None have made it to Boulder yet.
