The MV police have been diligently monitoring our neighborhoods for the thieves who show up anytime from 11pm to 5am. Residents have been asked to file police reports for "suspicious circumstance", or "theft" if they think or know their mail was stolen.
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On August 13 at 4:45am, I followed the suspects for a block as they pulled open mailboxes. I then called the police who sent 2 cruisers within 15 minutes. The suspects are usually a couple, captured on security cameras, wearing black hoodies with a large gold symbol on their backs, possibly a Guns and Roses logo. I saw the gold symbol which fit the photos from the security cameras but could not get clear photos using my iPhone. I took photos later at 8am of many opened mailboxes and discarded mail in the Old Mill business center parking lot.
On August 19 I posted fliers at 5pm, with photos of the couple and "BEWARE of Mail Thieves", providing MVPD #'s, primarily around Pacchetti. I don't think we have had incidences since then. We are also ramping up our Neighborhood Watch group.

Wow! Slow news day I guess.

I live in the Crossings and have had no such problems in more than 20 years. Blame the police, blame the postal service. By all means possible don't take personal responsibility or blame yourselves for the spike in crime.

The problem at the Crossings has more to do with residents who don't collect their mail each day, or arrange for some one to collect it for them--hello, that's what neighbors are for! Guess what folks? They keep coming back in the middle of the night because they know there is mail left in the mailboxes to be stolen! Duh!?! And you left it there! We actually have residents who have been complaining for years about their mail being stolen and have done nothing about it. They just let it happen over and over again and set their neighbors up as targets for more thefts. Again, personal responsibility. Neither the police, nor the postal service, is responsible for people who don't collect their mail each day.

But wait... there's more! Packages are also stolen and interiors of cars are ransacked, yet--wait for it-- you guessed it, the same complainers/crime victims/irresponsible residents (I'm not sure of the difference any more) don't track their packages, don't lock their cars, or even their homes and tell everyone on the neighborhood chat forums about it. And... you guessed it... they don't file police reports either!

But wait, there's even more... it's like one of those 1970s info commercials for the Ginsu knives! Bicycles and personal belongings liter the neighborhood sidewalks and people's porches and the neighborhood's micro-parks. Residents might as well just say come on in, everything is free for the taking. Low hanging fruit galore at the Crossings! The word's gotten out. No big surprise there!

MVPD Spokesman Nelson got it right about the Crossings. Only one person has filed a police report. That speaks volumes to the problem. From my experience, it's just a lot of entitlement, squeaky wheels, finger-pointing and grandstanding. It's what makes some people feel important. There is a psychological terms for it (besides being crazy), but it escapes me right now.

But wait, there's more. There's the Crossings association board, which Raschke and Edwards quoted in the article, sit on. The board could do a lot more to clean up the neighborhood, and make it less a target for thieves, by simply enforcing the association's rules, or God forbid, sending out notices to homeowners even just about how securing your belongings is a best practice for neighborhood security. But, you guessed it, no one wants to follow rules or enforce the rules, even though they all agreed to them when they bought their homes, or agreed to serve on the board. Much easier to hound the police and get a story in the paper (which just does wonders for our property values). All mention of the problem, or part of the problem, no mention of the easier self-help solutions that would solve the situation outright.

And then there are those few vigilantes following the supposed suspects at night... and the so called neighborhood watch committee that spends the majority of their time discussing matters that have nothing to do with crime prevention... they are the people that really scare me.

Welcome home. Welcome to the Crossings! If you are looking for a great place to live in Mountain View, it ain't here. Besides the crime wave, there's no parking... ever!

I'd have to agree with @Jack Daniels and his provocative comments.

A lot of the problems could be mitigated if the Crossings board would take the basic steps that the Mountain View Police have already made clear to them. In spite of months of talk about it, the board will not invest in heavy duty mailboxes or locked mailbox banks. Some owners have even suggested putting in mailbox banks strategically located at corners or under street lights. The townhomes already have a set of banks, positioned right under a street light. A homeowner there tells me they have never experienced mail thefts. Instead, the board is getting ready to install cheap sheet metal boxes with locks that a 5-year old can open. There is even a debate going around about who is actually responsible for paying for the mailboxes. Our governing documents make no mention of them. Some say the board is only responsible for approving the style and model of the mail box. Homeowners are then free to make the switch to a locking model instead of waiting for the board of for thieves to steal their mail.

One Mountain View Police officer I spoke with even suggested that the Crossings might benefit from applying the Broken Windows Theory of crime prevention and proactive policing. It basically involves stepping back and looking at the aesthetic statement and standards of living a community is projecting. We walked around the neighborhood and he pointed out all the personal items mentioned above, like bicycles, left out and in plain view and said it was just inviting petty crime. He then pointed to all the cars illegally parked backwards against traffic, on corners, blocking sidewalks, in front of sidewalk ramps and even in fire lanes. He even pointed to the fact that the private street lights were covered by tree branches that were also hanging down into the sidewalks contributing to dark sidewalks and giving the impression that no one is taking care of the neighborhood. I had to agree with him. The board has allowed the landscaping in many yards and in the common areas to go to ruin. Some lots are overrun with weeds and the houses haven't been painted in years. There is graffiti all along one street which the board refuses to address and clean up after several months. Even the outer perimeter fence on the back side of the Crossings along California Avenue is falling apart with the landscaping beneath it covered with weeds. All this projects a neighborhood inviting problems according to the Broken Window Theory of crime prevention and proactive policing.

Thus, I have to echo with what @Jack Daniels says. The problem with mail theft, and crime in general in the Crossings neighborhood, is more a problem of residents and board members not acting responsibly. The police can't singlehandedly fight crime and help people who won't help themselves.

Also, according to the police chief, the Crossings community and streets are private property. The police are not required to patrol the streets and enforce traffic and parking laws here. They simply don't have the resources. They only come in when called for other types of crime, and even then, because it's private property are allowed to use discretion for any traffic and parking laws they observe being broken because it's the Crossings board that is supposed to be enforcing the parking and traffic laws that the police would normally do in neighborhoods with public streets. But even with parking rules already on the books, the board won't enforce them. It's that kind of logic and inaction by the board that has contributed to both the real and perceived sense of lawlessness and neglect that permeates the community. Hence, the Crossings projects qualities contrary to the Broken Windows Theory of crime prevention.

Lastly, the officer I spoke with said what Neighborhood Watch is really about is proactive measures to prevent crimes and what to do when you see a crime being committed. It's about not letting your neighborhood become a target to begin and definitely NOT about organizing private patrols, as some Crossings members have suggested, or setting up sting operations or following suspects around in hopes of getting a good picture. Again, this is where the Crossings board of directors comes into play. They need to clean up the Crossings and project a well-organized and lawful community that's well lit at night and well maintained all around and well versed in crime PREVENTION best practices.

Sorry for the long-winded comment, but I think readers might find it useful in the context of the article.

I have a friend who lives in the Crossings; that place is a dump. The landscaping is abysmal. It looked good six months to a year ago but it looks terrible now, I would agree with the earlier posts, I am not surprised the neighborhood is attracting crime because it looks awful. Parking is non-existent – even for people who live there. Clean it up people and you won’t have your mail stolen !!!!

Incredible and disappointing. The Voice journalists should do a bit more research before being manipulated into writing such negative articles on The Crossings--the second negative article to appear in just over a year. If they were to dig a bit deeper they would discover that it's the same small clique and neighborhood cabal involved claiming there's smoke, but no fire. They control and drown out any dissenting voices on the neighborhood's online forums and conduct smear campaigns against any one trying to get the basic rules of the neighborhood enforced that would help prevent things such as stolen mail and the shoddy look of the neighborhood, not to mention improve basic safety for our children.

I live in one of the Crossings rowhomes along Pacchetti Way, the major thoroughfare mentioned in the article. I've never had a problem with stolen mail, just stolen trust.
It's like feeding stray cats. People don't bring in their mail from their mail boxes for days so crooks come along and steal it. Wash, rinse, repeat. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. BTW, one of my neighbors poisoned the feral cat I was feeding and gaining the trust of for eventual adoption.
If you ask me, the way people talk and with all the cameras coming out, a few in the neighborhood might even be trying to lure the criminals into a trap with mail as their bait to help catch them so they can cash in on the $10,000 bounty being offered by the postal service. Has any one in the police department given that motive consideration? Hec, I'm even tempted to give the role of bounty hunter a try for an easy 10 Gs since apparently we really do live in the Wild West. Have the police put out any guidelines for bounty hunting in Mountain View?
Rather than reading a story here that casts a negative shadow on the police or on our neighborhood (and our property values), what I'd really like to hear from Paul Edwards of the row homes board, is what he is going to do about the roof that keeps leaking and the below ground level rooms that have water leaking in from the over-irrigated landscaping. And let's not forget about those homeowners who leave their trash cans out in their driveway that are attracting rats, and perhaps even criminals too. Maybe the rats are stealing the mail for their nests? The feral cat I was feeding used to keep the rats away, but he's gone now.
And don't get me started about all the Airbnb's that have moved into the Crossings. Airbnb'ers come and go all the time. It's against our Bylaws, but the village elders won't take the required action to get rid of them. If you go to the city, you're told that the city isn't taking any enforcement action. Isn't there a 10% tax the city could be collecting? Where's the city council in all of this? If they want high density housing, they should be tackling the problems that come with it as well.

My neighbor and myself have never had a stolen mail problem, but then we pick up the mail every day, or other day. If everybody did the same, there wouldn't be anyone wasting time going through mailboxes. And those who travel should arrange to have a neighbor pick up the mail. How hard is it?
There are just too many people who complain constantly and do nothing the solve problems. And that includes the HOA board members.

Again,. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The Voice journalists should do a bit more research before being manipulated into writing such fluff pieces on The Crossings of Mountain View that attracts such negative attention. All that's been accomplished here is the airing out of dirty laundry at the expense of far more important issues in the neighborhood. Board member Matt Raschke, who is quoted throughout the article, need not look further than the tip of his nose for other city, state and federal laws being broken in the Crossings of Mountain View besides the stealing of mail. But I'm guessing those weren't mentioned to Voice reporters.

If you want to cover a real story and do real journalism, do one on why the Crossings pool and spa keeps failing county public health inspections. It's been found to be in violation 5 times already this year for not being tested as required by law, but the board refuses to tell homeowners and residents (upwards of 700) who have been taking their children all summer to swim in the postage-stamped size pool. Just request the inspection records from the county Department of Environmental Health. It's that easy.

Then there's the issue of the fire lanes not being in compliance for years and all the foot dragging by the fire department in response to solving the issue. Only recently has the fire marshall finally issued the board a compliance order with the threat of a $500-a-day fine if they did not address the problem. And when the board did finally begin to address it, they didn't even do it right and painted grey paint over red curbs on corners that for 20-years protected and kept clear handicap ramps and crosswalks which is required by law. The board's incomprehensible actions have resulted in illegal parking day and night. It's the association board's responsibility to inform and educate all home owners on parking rules and laws, and if necessary fine homeowners or tow their cars for such illegal parking. But they appear to be reluctant to do anything about it. They say it's the Mountain View Police's problem; the police say it's the board's problem. Oh and BTW the fire lane problem is still not even solved! The fire department keeps granting extension after extension to its compliance order. Why? Again, just ask the city for the records on it.

If that's not enough, ask the board about the housing discrimination and civil rights complaint that's been filed by a disabled resident for the board's failure to keep the community's sidewalks clear of vehicles and other obstructions, as required by law. People with walkers or in wheel chairs or people pushing strollers with infants and toddlers can't walk down a sidewalk without being forced into the street and on coming traffic. There's a city ordinance against such parking on private property, but the police chief has determined he does not have the resources to address it (wow, don't Crossings residents pay the same taxes?) and that the association board is ultimately responsible to uphold the laws on private property. We are talking about a public safety issue, but I guess only when some one gets run over will we know who to go to for an explanation. Illegal parking in handicap spaces even goes unenforced. The police chief claims the police have discretion to not enforce such illegal parking. But there's a fine line between discretion and discrimination.

For all of the above, all Voice journalists have to do is request the records and talk to the city government officials in charge. But fair warning... it's not a topic they are comfortable talking about and they will all point to each other and then the association board in answering any questions and pinning responsibility.

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