Fairfield post office to end 24-hour lobby access due to vandalism

FAIRFIELD — The post office in Fairfield has announced that it will reduce the hours of its lobby in response to vandalism.

Postmaster Teresa Young-Gray posted a message for the post office’s customers that the lobby will no longer be 24-hour access, a move designed to limit damage to the building.

Young-Gray’s note did not specify when this change would occur, but stated “in the near future” the post office’s lobby will adopt hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and will be closed on Sunday and holidays.

“The Postal Service greatly appreciates the community’s assistance in helping to resolve this issue and apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause,” reads the letter.

Fairfield Police Chief David Thomas said the post office was one of two 24-hour establishments vandalized in November 2021, the other being First National Bank’s ATM kiosk. The same man was charged with criminal mischief in both cases, Ethan Michael Lawson, 30, of Fairfield. Thomas said post office employees have filed complaints with the police department about homeless people sleeping in the lobby and causing damage at night, because of its 24-hour access.

Thomas estimated there are five to 10 homeless people in Fairfield. He said the problem of homelessness seems to be greater now than when he started in law enforcement two decades ago.

“When I started, we had homeless people, but they were couch surfing, staying with friends,” he said. “They weren’t sleeping in public places.”

Thomas said that, though the number of homeless people in Fairfield is fairly small, it’s among the most frustrating problems for law enforcement. He said police officers and sheriff’s deputies routinely offer to take homeless people to shelters in neighboring towns, but most refuse to participate.

“We tell them, ‘we don’t want to arrest you for trespassing,’” Thomas said. “Deputies have volunteered to take them to Ottumwa or Washington, and they refuse any assistance.”

Thomas said the Jefferson County Ministerial Alliance and The Well Fairfield are a couple of local organizations that seek to help the homeless. However, he said some people are just difficult to help. He recounted one instance where The Well tried to help a homeless person find a job, but the man refused it because he didn’t want to have to show an ID.

For people who regularly commit trespassing, there isn’t much police can do. Thomas said trespassing is a simple misdemeanor, which means the offender spends no more than 30 days in jail. He said there is an enhanced penalty from the first offense to the second offense, but no further enhancements after that.

“We don’t have a good answer for businesses who say, ‘Why do I have to call you about this same person 10 times?’” Thomas said. “We just have to explain to businesses that, if you want to be open 24 hours, this is just something they will have to deal with.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com