When the U.S. Postal Service launched Project Safe Delivery last year, officials pledged they would be “doubling down” on their efforts to combat growing rates of letter carrier robberies.
The crackdown has led to hundreds of arrests, and robberies slowed toward the end of the year. But, overall, the number of postal carriers who were robbed in 2023 rose again and the number who were injured nearly doubled as criminals continue to target carriers for their antiquated “arrow keys” that allow access to mailboxes.
This week, legislation is being introduced in Congress to accelerate the replacement of tens of thousands of mailbox keys, boost prosecutions and review sentencing guidelines. All of it cannot come soon enough for letter carriers.
“We’re like sitting ducks out there,” said Houston mail carrier Tijuana Abbott, who accused postal leadership of failing to do enough to address the problem. “Enough is enough.”
Postal carrier robberies climbed to 643 last year, an increase of nearly 30%, and the number of robberies resulting in injuries doubled to 61 last year, according to figures provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.