By Kenneth Thompson

Staff writer

Postal officials believe a recent rash of postal thefts in LaGrange are part of a bigger problem, affecting all areas served by the postal service’s Atlanta hub.

Customers of the LaGrange Post Office have reported an unusually high number of missing tracked parcels during the last few months.

“We do have a problem right now with tracked packages,” LaGrange postmaster Charles Starnes said. “There are quite a few parcels missing. It’s difficult to tell how much, because the only feedback we get is from our customers. We don’t know what’s going on with it but we have contacted the regional postal inspections service and they are investigating it.”

Tracked packages include any kind of registered mail with an assigned confirmation number used to track its location. Mail theft is a federal crime and carries stiff penalties, authorities said.

Atlanta postal spokesperson Yolanda Burns said that the high volume of missing packages has been going on for a few months in the Atlanta area.

“This is not just isolated in LaGrange,” Burns said. “We have an investigation going on pertaining to Atlanta and surrounding areas.”

Burns said the Atlanta area postal service launched the investigation because of a possible inside job of theft.

The case agent in charge of the investigation was on vacation recently but “his vacation had no impact on the case,” Burns said. “There have been some allegations that the lost mail has been going on for a year or so no. That’s not the case at all. This has only been going on for a few months now.”

Burns said the postal service hopes to resolve the matter soon. Anyone who has a package missing should contact the postal service.

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.