A national campaign to counter crimes against postal carriers is starting to deliver results, according to officials from the United States Postal Service (USPS) who briefed reporters on their efforts last week. The strategy includes beefed-up enforcement and new equipment that officials say will make individual postal carriers less of a target for criminals.
One key reform is the gradual phasing out of the so-called “arrow keys” that serve as universal instruments to open mailboxes. The keys are sought after by criminals, some of whom have assaulted and robbed letter carriers to steal them. By moving toward a system that no longer uses a universal key, officials say, they expect to see a continued decline in robberies.
“We are replacing every lock that we can on the collection boxes,” said Postal Inspector Danielle Schrage. “I can’t get into the specifics of what the security is, but there is an electronic component to these locks that will devalue the very thing the crooks are after, which are the postal keys on our carriers. That is the main goal.”
