Very Important Information!! Postal Service truck broken into-items may be lost

Greetings neighbors,

We have had an unfortunate incident occur for our local Post Office mail carrier today, and unfortunately mail was stolen from the vehicle at around 11:45 a.m. today for our area. You will be receiving a notice in the mail regarding this crime from the U.S. Postal Service if your home was affected, but we would like to make sure everyone shares this information quickly and considers if they were expecting any checks, packages, or other mail that may have had personal information on it. The news we have received is that the items that were taken are considered "flats"-like magazines, leaflets, pamphlets, advertisements, etc., but, just as precaution, we would encourage everyone to:
-  take any necessary steps to secure your identity information, watch your bank accounts, credit cards, etc carefully for unauthorized usage
- contact any vendors you may have expected items from to see if they can give you tracking data, if the items do not arrive in the normal expected timeframe

The best way to stop this from occurring in the future folks is for everyone to keep their eyes out for suspicious behavior and please report any and all suspicious behavior! Do not be afraid to contact the non-emergency sheriff's number when a crime is not in progress or call 911 if it is. All suspicious behavior should be reported to the Sheriff's Dept. so they can help us protect our neighborhood friends and family, and give them the chance to do their job well.

Here is a great little list about suspicious activity from the Elk Grove PD website:

What is Suspicious?

Anything that seems even slightly "out of place" or is occurring at an unusual time of day or night could be criminal activity. The following are some obvious things to watch for:

• A stranger entering your neighbor’s house when it is unoccupied;
• A scream heard anywhere might mean robbery or assault;
• Offers of merchandise at ridiculously low prices may mean stolen property;
• Anyone removing accessories, license plates, or gas from a vehicle should be reported;
• Anyone peering into parked vehicles may be looking for a vehicle to steal or for valuables left in the vehicle;
• Persons entering or leaving a place of business after hours;
• A sound of breaking glass or loud explosive noises could mean an accident, burglary or vandalism;
• Persons loitering around schools, parks and secluded areas could be sex offenders;
• Persons loitering in the neighborhood who do not live there; and
• Anyone forcing entry to, or tampering with a residence, business, or vehicle should be reported.

Things to Watch Out For That Are Not So Obvious:

• Strangers and solicitors
  Verify the employment of all solicitors, meter readers and repair personnel prior to allowing them entry into your home. This can be done by obtaining the employer’s number from the telephone book or by contacting directory assistance. Never take a telephone number offered by a suspicious person. Be suspicious of alleged delivery personnel with a wrong address or asking if someone lives there.
• Someone carrying property.
  If it’s at an unusual hour, unusual place, or if the property is not wrapped as if just purchased.
• Someone going door-to-door in your neighborhood.
  Watch for awhile. If after a few houses are visited, one or more persons tries a door to see if it is locked, looks into windows, or goes into a back or side yard, it could be a burglar. Call Elk Grove Police Department immediately; don’t wait for the person to leave.
• Traffic to and from a certain residence.
  It is not suspicious unless it occurs on a daily basis or very regular basis, especially during late or unusual hours.
• Any vehicle moving slowly and without lights, or following a course that appears aimless or repetitive in any location.
  Particularly in areas of schools, parks and playgrounds. Occupants may be looking for places to rob or burglarize, or they could be drug pushers or sex offenders.
• Parked vehicles containing one or more persons.
  If it is an unusual hour they could be lookouts for a burglary in progress.
• An abandoned vehicle parked on your block.
  May be a stolen vehicle.
• Continuous repair operations at non-business locations.
  It could mean stolen property is being stripped, repainted, or otherwise altered.
• Persons making a quick change of vehicles.
  
  May be attempting to elude the police or abandoning a stolen vehicle.
• One or more juveniles walking through the neighborhood looking into automobiles or backyards.

• Any person taking a shortcut through a backyard.

Hope this post finds you all in every other way well :) Happy Monday!