BATON ROUGE -  Several mailboxes were broken into Saturday outside a post office in Mid City, officials said Thursday.

Photos taken Wednesday outside the USPS office on Government Street showed the blue drop-off boxes were wrapped in plastic to keep people from placing mail in the broken receptacles. A post office spokesperson said they're awaiting replacements for the broken locks.

Read the statement released by USPS Thursday.

“The Postal Service takes the security of the mail very seriously, including receptacles, such as collection boxes, where customers deposit mail. Anytime we are made aware of damage to a collection box, we take immediate steps to make repairs or provide a replacement box as quickly as possible. The boxes in question may have sustained damages, and as a result, mail could not be securely deposited. In these cases, access is temporarily restricted for the safety of our customers. The timeframe for completion of repairs or replacement can depend on the current supply of new boxes. Local postal officials are aware and have taken the appropriate steps to address the situation at Audubon Station Post Office, located at 4500 Government St., where we believe collection boxes were vandalized sometime on Saturday, Sept. 17. In the interim, customers can securely deposit outgoing mail in the lobby drop box of the Audubon Station. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience that may have been experienced and appreciate their patience as we successfully resolve the matter. Customers are reminded that if they suspect mail theft or vandalism of a collection box, they should immediately contact the USPS Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.”

Over the past year, the Baton Rouge area has been plagued by thieves targeting blue drop-off boxes across the Baton Rouge area as part of a check-washing scheme. Law enforcement made multiple arrests in those thefts, including some suspects accused of stealing a master key from a postal worker during a mugging.