GEORGETOWN, Del. – Since 2020, there have been more than 2,000 crimes committed against United States letter carriers.
It’s a staggering statistic that’s pushed the National Association for Letter Carriers representatives, Shawn Colleran and Norberto Aviles, to rally for justice.
“This is happening in small towns, this is happening in Dover, this is happening in Rehoboth, Seaford, and most recently, in Georgetown,” Colleran said.
The pair are advocating for the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act to be passed at the federal level. The law would provide harsher sentencing for robbery and assault of a letter carrier, increase prosecution rates and secure and devalue postal infrastructure, all initiatives that Aviles said would give increased security to mail carriers on the job.
“We’re out there providing a service, and the only weapon that we have– besides the good will of our customers on the route, they’re always looking out for us and giving us cold water on a hot day, or smiling at us as we hand them their mail– is the pepper spray that we carry on our satchel and that’s it, that’s the only defense,” Aviles said.