USPS' Locking Drop Boxes Arrive In Dana Point; Residents Respond

DANA POINT, CA — Amid the national uproar over the U.S. Postal Service, Orange County representatives are following up on questions about changes being made to mail collection boxes across the county. But when mail boxes become a source of theft, the USPS puts a mechanism in place to halt the after-hours attacks.

In Dana Point, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin wrote on his Facebook page Friday that "the President and Postmaster General DeJoy are attempting to destroy the USPS before our eyes. We won't let it happen."

The postmaster general has been called before a congressional committee Aug. 24 to answer questions on why drastic changes have been made to service in advance of the November election. One those changes includes the removal of old-style mailboxes in favor of a locking collection box, to the detriment of those trying to post mail after post office hours.

Recently, Patch learned of a resident attempting to drop mail in the outside collection box at the Del Prado Avenue branch. He found that box locked, unable to accept his outgoing letter.

"It was taped off/closed on Sunday," resident David Martinez told Patch. "I couldn't place mail in the outside box."

To answer his question, Patch went to the Del Prado branch.

The locking collection box is a "new type of security measure" employed at this location upon "a directive from the federal government," a spokesperson told Patch.

The process for the locking mechanism is for the last postal worker of the day to lock up the outside drop box as they leave. The first employee of the day will unlock it upon their morning arrival. That could be as late as 9 p.m. and as early as 7 a.m., they said.

A spokesperson from that branch told Patch that the federal government hopes the new locking mailboxes "will ensure an end to mail theft." When asked, the spokesperson told Patch no mail theft had ever occurred at this location.

However neighbors across Dana Point disagreed.

UPDATE to original report, following response from USPS Corporate Communications:

Patch received numerous comments from residents in the area of Dana Point and Laguna Niguel losing mail to theft from outside collection boxes. Residents have lost checks, gift cards, and fallen victim of identity theft due to items being rousted from those boxes, residents disclosed to Patch. The act of stealing from a collection box is called "fishing," and the USPS has battled it for quite awhile, they say.

Mail thieves attempt to draw mail out of the box "using a line and something sticky."A locking drop box is put into place to deter mail theft and deter such "fishing attacks,"according to a County of Orange USPS spokesperson.

"The device is placed on the box after the last collection of the day and removed at the start of the new business day," Evelina Ramirez of USPS Corporate Communications tells Patch.

The device was selected for the Del Prado location due to such"fishing attacks."

Numerous reports of these attacks taking letters containing checks and other important documents were disclosed to Patch over the Dana Point Unplugged Facebook Group, after the original report was published.

Laguna Niguel resident Bill Ferdi spoke out on Dana Point Unplugged, in answer to this story, on his experiences with that post office drop box.

According to Ferdi vandals put "a sticky material on the inside of the LN post office drop box door and returned at night to steal letters.

"I know of many people that had lost mail and it was a big problem," Fring says. "They moved the drop boxes closer to the office and now the opening is much smaller and completely closes once the letter goes in."

Other locations for after-hours mail drops include the Capistrano Beach location.

Seeing mailboxes removed and replaced with these new types of boxes has left Dana Point residents curious about the Postal Service's current state.

Will you send a mail-in ballot in November's election?

Patch asked readers in Laguna Niguel and Dana Point if they will take advantage of mail-in voting for the 2020 election, and what would influence their decision to mail in or not mail in ballots.

Max Brown: "I have done mail-in voting for years both when I lived in Pennsylvania and now California. I wouldn't do it any other way.

Gary: "I will stand in line, and socially distance and mask, if necessary, but I (we) always vote in person. I ran polling booths for years and know that in elections where the candidates are to far apart in numbers, those mail In don’t physically get counted. I (we) want our votes to count.

Rita Tanner: "Always do mail-in. Hours more convenient; have more time to spend on difficult propositions; no dark streets to find polling place; and no distractions from chatty poll workers!

Susan: "I will definitely be mailing mine in and so will my 2 adult children - soo much easier!"

Denise Hering: "I have liked going in person in the past, but I will mail this time because of COVID."

Jasmin Jinn: "for me, there's nothing like going to the polls ! are you speaking about a mail in ballot that can be tampered with? no thanks."

Theresa Matthews of Temecula states: "If I get a mail in ballot I will carry it to the polling place and have them put it into the ballot box. I have always pool voted. If you take your but to the grocery store AND WalMart and stand in line you can go to a poll and vote."

Pico Sepulveda of Murrieta states: "Folks quit being lazy get to the polls & vote. People im some countries don't have the privilage to do so, would love to walk in our shoe's."

Glenna Dramis: "Absolutely not. I will go to the facility and vote!"

In Laguna Beach, U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda has called for the postmaster general to reverse changes and restructuring ahead of election. He has co-sponsored the Delivering for America Act, "to prevent the USPS from instituting shifts to its operations or to the level of service that was in place at the beginning of 2020," they told Patch.

How will you cast your ballot? Let us know in comments or by emailing your questions, concerns or statements to your local Patch editor.