Older than the entirety of the Department of Justice and predating the Federal Bureau of Investigations by over 100 years, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is one of the oldest — and most rarely talked about — law enforcement entities in the United States government.
Though it’s not necessarily well-known, USPIS helps respond to incidents such as the recent spate of bombs mailed in the run-up to the midterm elections.
“The U.S. Postal Service processes and delivers more than 149 billion pieces of U.S. mail each year. Postal inspectors are mandated to safeguard all of it — including the people who move it and the customers who use it,” said Postal Inspector and National Public Information Officer Andrea Avery in an interview with Federal Times.
“And it’s all included in the price of a stamp. The U.S. Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses.