I'm in the East Long Beach/Lakewood area (very middle class, not high crime, altho' it's been getting worse) and we have had the mailboxes in our neighborhoods and at the actual PO changed to this kind of system. For at least a couple of years there have been increasing problems with people stealing mail out of the old style mailboxes--the kind with either drive up chutes or the pull open door at the top. You would to to put mail in either one and the entire openings would be full of sticky 'goop'. What was explained to us that complained, was that thieves would use wire, or other long implements with sticky substances on them, and essentially, fish for mail. That was the chute style. For the pull down door style, the sticky stuff would catch envelopes that were just tossed in and the person didn't check. So the mail piece would not fall down, but stick inside the door area.

So, now our outside boxes have either been removed or replaced with the kind in the photos that lock--yes at 5pm, or ones that have just a narrow slot that even has kind of a lip on it. And you really have to bend down and look to see that you are getting the letter into the slot. It's a little bit inconvenient, but at least it should deter theft. And no more getting gunk all over your hands when you went to mail a letter!

I do believe the PMGeneral is trying to screw over the USPS, but in this case I don't think these changes have anything to do with elections or voting, etc.