But Sepulveda’s role and that of hundreds of other Postal Police Officers changed when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced that by law the jurisdiction of the officers is limited to postal service facilities.
In a statement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service told NBC6 that “clarification concerning the jurisdiction of Postal Police Officers (PPOs) was received in 2017 and messaged out to PPOs and PPO management through 2018 and 2019. The Postal Inspection Service deemed it necessary to provide further guidance on the role of PPOs in a written communication in August 2020.”
“If a criminal knows that there’s no longer going to be an officer present within the proximity of certain areas, they’re going to target more victims,” Sepulveda said.
