The Fourth of July is right around the corner. With it come fireworks and firecrackers - mostly used to celebrate. But some take the occasion to light firecrackers for destructive purposes. And for some reason, they use mail boxes as targets. 

Hi. I'm Andrea Avery, United States Postal Inspector. These blue collection boxes are pretty sturdy and can survive a lot of abuse. But the mail inside can't. 

Residential mailboxes are another story. 

To a youthful offender, vandalizing a mailbox may not seem like a big deal. If they happen to get caught, however, this could well be just the start of their troubles.

It's a federal crime to vandalize mailboxes or destroy any mail in them. 

Postal Inspectors investigate these crimes. They carry a hefty fine and you could go to jail. 

Report any instances of mailbox vandalism to your Postmaster or to the Postal Inspection Service online at U-S-P-I-S dot gov. 

Enjoy celebrating our nation's birthday. But please stay safe.