The U.S. Postal Service has few processes in place to determine its law enforcement needs, according to a new audit, leaving the mailing agency potentially ill-equipped to manage a surge in crimes aimed at its staff.
Serious crimes, including robberies and assaults, on letter carriers and other postal workers have surged in recent years, with incidents doubling since 2019. Most of that was driven by robberies outside of USPS property, the Government Accountability Office found, and thieves are increasingly using firearms to take universal keys from letter carriers.
The spike has elicited outcry from employee groups and lawmakers, as well as new policies from postal management. USPS has hardened many of its blue collection boxes to make them harder to break into and is replacing tens of thousands of the universal “arrow keys” with an electronic alternative. Postal management also increased its rewards for those who help convict mail thieves, offering up to $250,000 payouts.
