Terri Shaver: It’s too easy for theives to break into Turlock mailboxes

Many Turlock citizens are expressing more and more frustration and outrage because so many community mailboxes are vandalized and broken into with a crowbar and the mail stolen – some as many as three times.

Aside from the mail thieves, part of the problem is the flimsy mailboxes. They are easily broken into from the front or the back. Secure replacement mailboxes are needed. The police department and the post office say “they’re working on a solution,” but where is the evidence of progress?

Yes, replacing these mailboxes with ones that will protect our mail will cost money. But mail theft is a felony, and the U.S. Postal Service has an important federal responsibility to protect the security of mail delivery.

The citizens of Turlock respectfully insist that our outdated mailboxes be replaced and made secure. How can we help make that happen? Will the Turlock post office please let us know when a replacement project will start and be finished?

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Terri Shaver: It’s too easy for theives to break into Turlock mailboxes."