Residents living within the 52nd Precinct are on alert as the “mail fishing” trend continues despite police efforts to crack down on so-called “fishers.”

Mail fishing involves perpetrators using shoestring and a bottle covered in glue (oftentimes a sticky mouse trap) to insert it into a drop-off mailbox and snag mail the glue comes in contact with. It’s a quick crime that allows thieves to walk away with mail holding checks or gift cards. In most cases, rent checks have been fished out of boxes, putting residents behind.

Over the year, mail theft has increased within the 52nd Precinct, which covers Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, parts of Fordham, and University Heights. In January, officers arrested three fishers who were targeting mailboxes at night in Bedford Park and Norwood. The five-two precinct began staking out targeted mailboxes, conducting 14 joint overnight operations with postal police to crack down on these fishers which resulted in about 22 to 24 arrests so far, according to Lt. Kevin Maloney of the 52nd Precinct. However, even though cops are making more arrests, mail fishing doesn’t look like it’ll be going away anytime soon, especially in areas from 196th Street upwards to East Gun Hill Road.

“Last week alone on one night we made three separate arrests for mailbox fishing,” Maloney told residents at the 52nd Community Council meeting on Sept. 22. “Three separate mailboxes, three separate locations, it’s getting bigger. So we do need your help there.”

Among the suspected thieves was a repeat offender who was busted in late August. After getting out of jail, the alleged thief committed the same crime, according to one police source.

The U.S. Postal Service has tried to combat mail fishing by modifying some mailboxes with single letter slots. But this seems to have only made the problem worse, because “instead of fishing for mail, they are trying to bend it out with crowbars,” Maloney added.

Some precautions residents can take to prevent becoming a victim, according to police, include:

Mailing important documents at the post office instead of street mailboxes.

If using a street mailbox, mail letters during the day before last pickup.

Avoid mailing letters at night or over the weekend so that your mail won’t be sitting in the mailbox overnight.

When writing checks, use gel ink pen to make it difficult for thieves to alter and cash checks.

Maloney added that cops can effectively combat mail theft with the help of watchful residents.

“Our biggest ally [are residents] looking outside the window and calling 911 with the description,” he said. “Probably about 50 percent of the arrests we made so far are with [residents’] help.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.