Mail Boxes At Torrance Post Office Burglarized

TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Robin, who did not want to reveal his last name, said he became upset when he went to pick up his mail at the post office on Marcelina Avenue in Torrance Monday afternoon.

He said his post office box was empty. "It was wide open, and there were pieces of metal on the floor. We could see they had been pried or smashed into," Robin recalled. "I saw the sign on the door that said the post office had been broken into a few times lately."

The postal service said 14 mailboxes were hit on Memorial Day. And as a result of the thefts, the lobby was no longer open 24 hours. It is now open during business hours only.

Last week, Rick Beaver told CBSLA about the mail theft and delivery problems at his Torrance condo building.

"I have overdue bills I have to pay. I've gotten envelopes that have been opened by other people in the building. It makes me feel like my privacy is being invaded."

Beaver said his complaints fell on deaf ears. So he wrote to local lawmakers. Congressman Ted Lieu from the South Bay heard from so many, he asked the postmaster general to do something about it a recent hearing.

The Postal Inspection Service is now investigating the thefts at the Torrance post office, which urged customers to retrieve their mail from their boxes every day to prevent their mail from being stolen again.

"I got a P.O. box because I thought it would be more secure than my mailbox along the street, and I guess that's not the case," Robin said. "I just think the postal service is not securing my mail, not doing their job."