Postal carriers have more worries than snow, rain or the gloom of night keeping them from their appointed rounds. They\u2019re increasingly being robbed, often at gunpoint, from Maine to California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robberies of postal carriers have exploded, surging 78% to nearly 500 in 2022, according to data provided by U.S. Postal Inspection Service to The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letter carriers are demanding action from the U.S. Postal Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe National Association of Letter Carriers is outraged and angered by the assaults, armed robberies and even murders that America\u2019s letter carriers increasingly face as they deliver the mail. These attacks are completely unacceptable,\u201d said Paul Barner, the union\u2019s executive vice president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Postal Service said it\u2019s adapting and implementing new measures to address the robberies, which are taking a toll on letter carriers tasked with delivering about 162.1 million pieces of first-class mail each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public\u2019s mail,\u201d said Michael Martel, spokesperson for the inspection service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The robberies have more than quadrupled over a decade, the data show. Weapons were used in most of the 496 robberies, injuring 31 postal carriers, last year. One, Milwaukee letter carrier Aundre Cross, was shot to death, leading to three arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey definitely need some type of security,\u201d said Cross\u2019s friend, Jared Tangle. \u201cThey need someone watching their back, so they can do their jobs safely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of these criminals are becoming more sophisticated and organized. Some are targeting the special keys that carriers use to access collection boxes and to deliver mail in apartment buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A case this January north of Boston was typical. A letter carrier in Peabody was on his route when a 20-year-old man told him, \u201cGive me your keys\u201d and \u201cHurry up or I\u2019ll shoot you\u201d while pointing a semi-automatic handgun at the carrier, law enforcement officials said. The assailant fled but was later arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In March, a postal carrier was slashed with a machete in Lowell, Massachusetts. That assailant also was located and arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Postal Service leadership is preparing to announce more measures to address the problem, USPS spokesperson Dave Partenheimer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already, the service is working to enhance collection box key and lock technology; implement dual authentication to make keys less attractive targets for criminals; and \u201charden\u201d blue collection boxes to prevent tampering, while continuing to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to bring the criminals to justice, Partenheimer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Partenheimer added Monday that the USPS is in the process of briefing congressional committees on its responses to postal crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theft of mail carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and possession, concealment or disposal of property carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Martel said. Assault carries a sentence of up to 10 years for a first offense, and up to 25 years for a subsequent offense, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will continue to adapt to evolving security threats and implement expanded measures to safeguard our employees and preserve the security of the mail that our customers expect and deserve,\u201d Partenheimer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Barner said letter carriers \u201cdemand solutions now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile we will continue to engage with the Postal Service and relevant law enforcement agencies to develop measures that will enhance the safety of letter carriers, the fear and the danger that letter carriers are confronting has to end,\u201d Barner\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n