The Manager's report back on patterns that Inman Square, Wellington Harrington and Port residents should be cognizant of and procedures that should be followed if they feel their mail has been tampered with

At the present time, there are no operational patterns, series or hot spot concentrations involving package thefts in Cambridge. Due to paucity of activity, package thefts were downgraded to low probability on February 2nd, and have remained at that advisory level since that date. Through May 23rd of this year, there have been 58 package thefts and crimes associated with tampering of mail that were reported in Cambridge, the exact same number recorded for this same time period in 2015.

There have been 5 reported package thefts in the Port this year, 3 since April 1st and the 5th and last recorded 3 weeks ago on May 2, 2016. In 2015, there were nine of these incidents counted during this same time-frame. There have been three package thefts reported for Inman /Harrington in 2016. The last theft of this type recorded in this area was 10 weeks ago on March 15, 2016.

The Post Office has not received any specific reports of mail tampering in Cambridge. They are however experiencing a regional rise in package thefts that is proportionate with the rise in the number of packages being delivered. It is our opinion that this may be one of the crime types that is underreported to the Department or reported well after the theft has been committed which hampers our ability to identify patterns or long-standing trends.

Early June 2016

It should be noted, that while limited in scope, there were several package thefts reported by an East Cambridge resident that occurred on three separate dates. Given that there appears to be an on-going activity at a single location during a known time-frame, investigators are coordinating a package theft assignment in this area that will utilize surveillance and decoy packages to address this issue.

Council Order 0-3 dated April 25, 2016

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 Review of Larceny of Packages in Cambridge in 2015 There were 289 of these larcenies reported in Cambridge in 2015, a 28% increase over 2014. By far the most prevalent scenario for this crime type in both 2014 and even more so in 2015 involved the theft of packages from the front steps or vestibules of residences, which rose by 42% this year (from 111 incidents in 2014 to 158 in 2015).

Although package thefts were up in 2015 when compared with the previous year, no definite spatial or temporal patterns were identified for most of the year. Towards late fall and into the holiday season, incidents became more numerous citywide, with Mid-Cambridge, Cambridgeport, Peabody, and North Cambridge seeing the most activity, particularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons.

Four people were arrested in two separate package theft incidents this year in May (in Cambridgeport) and in December (in Riverside).

Larcenies from residences by neighborhood Neighborhood 2014 2015 Change

East Cambridge