Hamilton USPS collection boxes blocked due to theft

HAMILTON — The actions of one or a few can have a domino effect on many others. This has proven true for patrons of the Hamilton Post Office the last few weeks. The drive up collection boxes have been blocked due to a theft or attempted theft which occurred on Sunday, Aug. 27, postal inspection officers stated.
Officials did not state if a theft actually occurred, although it was stated both boxes were broken into. The break in was discovered by a postal employee, according to Julie Nicholson-Morgan, public information officer with the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Since these two boxes are the only ones within the City of Hamilton, customers have fewer options to mailing letters. If they do not wish to mail them from their mailbox for carriers to pick up, they must be brought inside the post office.
A special key is used to open the collection boxes, and postal employees must sign out the key and sign it back in when the mail is collected from the blue boxes. The locks on the boxes in Hamilton are currently being replaced, which is the reason for the long wait on reopening the boxes. There is no timeline available on when they will reopen.
As of Monday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m., the boxes were still blocked.
“The inspection service is working with USPS to get the locks replaced so that the collection boxes can be made available to customers,” Nicholson-Morgan said.
“Postal inspectors rely on the reports by customers to identify any items taken from the mail,” she continued. “If you are a victim of mail theft, you should report it to your local police and to the Postal Inspection Service by calling our hotline at 877-876-2455 or visiting our website at USPIS.gov/report.”
Additionally, those who witness or have knowledge of mail theft are urged to call the number or report it on the website.