If you use a P.O. Box at the downtown South Bend post office, you’ll have less access to it starting Wednesday.
The post office says it’s a safety measure.
The post office recently notified P.O. Box holders that the lobby’s hours will be reduced to 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The P.O. Box Lobby is now open 5 a.m. to midnight.
The notice cites “an increase in disruptive nighttime activity in the Downtown South Bend area.”
A postal service spokesman in Illinois said no local official would be interviewed for this story. The spokesman also declined WVPE’s interview request.
Not including calls that officers initiate, South Bend police responded to the post office’s address, 424 S. Michigan Street, 67 times over the past year, according to a police spokeswoman. That’s a 29-percent increase from the 52 calls over the prior year.
Willow Wetherall, executive director of Downtown South Bend Incorporated, said she would welcome the chance to work with the post office to address their concerns. In a written statement, Wetherall said the city-funded nonprofit has used its ambassador program to successfully address “other areas of concern for downtown businesses.”