US Postal Service taking new steps to prevent carrier robberies, stolen mail [View all]
Source: Associated Press
US Postal Service taking new steps to prevent carrier robberies, stolen mail
By DAVID SHARP
May 12, 2023
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service is replacing tens of thousands of antiquated keys used by postal carriers and installing thousands of high-security collection boxes to stop a surge in robberies and mail thefts, officials said Friday.
The Postal Service is replacing 49,000 so-called arrow locks with electronic versions to make them less attractive to criminals who have been targeting them to steal mail from secure receptacles, and it is placing 12,000 hardened blue collection boxes in high-risk areas, according to the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service.
The announcement came days after the National Association of Letter Carriers expressed outrage as The Associated Press reported that nearly 500 postal carriers were robbed last year.
“We’re doubling down on our efforts to protect our postal employees and the security of the mail. We are hardening targets — both physical and digital — to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice,” Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale said Friday in a statement.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/postal-carrier-robberies-stolen-mail-8f38bacb786b5826020b28829abf62d9
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