Staten Island politicians and community members have voiced their concerns over the recent removal of drive-through mailboxes at the Manor Road Post Office in Castleton Corners.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) took this action in response to a surge in mail theft, vandalism, and check fraud incidents.
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, Borough President Vito Fossella, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, and representatives from the National Association of Letter Carriers addressed the issue at a press conference on Friday.
Malliotakis revealed that check theft has resulted in $1.7 million in losses for taxpayers.
“We’re very disturbed by this development,” Malliotakis stated. “For years, we’ve had drive-by drop-off boxes where residents in our community can drop off their mail. All of a sudden, those mailboxes are gone.”
Assemblyman Pirozzolo pointed out that the newly installed tamper-proof mailboxes cannot accommodate enough letters and urged that the issue be resolved promptly.
He said, “This is an extreme disservice to our community if we’re taking these mailboxes away, and I want to follow that by saying the year is 2024, we have built a better mousetrap, surely we can build a better mailbox. So, I encourage the post office to please work on those designs, and let’s get this service back to the people of Staten Island.”
Pirozzolo continued, “Government is totally misguided when their answer to crime is to punish the victims.”
Malliotakis, Fossella, Pirozzolo, Council Member David Carr, and other officials wrote to Postmaster Francis Paulin to reconsider the decision.
The July 30th letter reads, “The Manor Road Post Office is one of the few Staten Island locations that had drive-through mailboxes, which made mail drop off easy and efficient for the surrounding community of Castleton Corners. We are aware that stolen mail has increased over the past year, however, there must be a better way to address this problem than simply removing mailboxes. Has the Post Office considered installing more surveillance cameras and increasing Postal Police presence to deter theft?”
Borough President Fossella emphasized the importance of finding a balanced solution: “This is a case where convenience and commonsense gets thrown out the window because crooks take advantage of what happens not just across Staten Island, but the city and state. We want to reinstate and replace these drop boxes here.”
Council Member Carr stressed that the Manor Road Post Office is crucial for the entire island, not just for local residents. He noted that the removal of drive-through mailboxes will significantly affect all residents.
Carr said, “While a certain level of security might be sacrificed for convenience, the solution is to educate residents to not leave critical mail or mail with checks in mailboxes, rather than just taking them out entirely.”
Amidst calls for action, Malliotakis urged residents to report any incidents of check fraud and recommended using non-washable ink for check writing to deter theft.
