Residents to Meet With Officials Monday About Mail Theft

This cluster mail box in the Rustler Ranch community has been vandalized multiple times.

The Menifee police chief, postmaster, a city councilman and the city manager will meet with residents on Monday regarding an increasing problem in Menifee -- mail theft.

The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. at Kay Ceniceros Senior Center, 29995 Evans Road. The public is invited.

Larry Sichter, a resident of the Rustlers Ranch community, addressed the city council recently and asked for city support in organizing a meeting to discuss the problem. Richter said the cluster box of 11 mailboxes near the corner of Avenida De Cortez and Park Avenue has been broken into three times in the past year. Another cluster box nearby has been broken into twice recently.

Sichter has also received correspondence from mail theft victims in other areas. A resident of the Sun City community has reported break-ins into several individual mailboxes on Potomac Drive.

City council member Greg August worked with Sichter and other residents to set up Monday's meeting. Also attending will be Police Chief Mike Judge, Postmaster Shane Seitz, City Manager Rob Johnson and Jay Jeffs, owner of Jayco Industries, which sells secured mailboxes to residents.

Sichter said he was told by Seitz that it is the residents' responsibility to replace community mailboxes. Residents of the community went in together to purchase a more secure $1,200 cluster box.

"My neighbor had a $600 Social Security check stolen," Sichter said. "This problem is prevalent; it's all over. The Post Office tells us it is our responsibility to replace broken boxes. We're trying to figure out exactly what the Post Office policy is."

During his statement to the city council recently, Sichter was passionate in his plea for help.

"I realize we have an understaffed police department serving Menifee," Sichter said during public comments. "But the fact is, this kind of crime directly affects the pocketbooks of Menifee citizens and exposes us to identity theft, which could ruin a family. We think it's in the best interest of the city to address this problem with all concerned."