The Postal Service, already struggling in some regions to cover delivery routes with available staff, is experiencing a spike in postal crime that further hurts employee recruitment and retention, postal associations told lawmakers.
Frank Albergo, national president of the Postal Police Officers Association, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s subcommittee on government operations that postal police staffing has shrunk by approximately 65% since 2002.
Albergo said the postal police force, at a time when postal crime and robberies of mail carriers are on the rise, has shrunk to approximately 350 rank-and-file officers, and continues to see its headcount shrink through attrition.
Albergo estimated there will be fewer than 300 rank and file postal police officers by the end of 2024, unless changes are made.