Mail Theft and Crime: A Growing Concern for the US Postal Service

Strategic Insights -

The US Postal Service is facing a growing issue with mail theft and crime, with a significant increase in stolen and fraudulent mail, safety challenges in major cities, and delivery delays. According to testimony from various officials, including the Deputy Inspector General at the USPS Office of the Inspector General, the number of mail theft attacks has skyrocketed from just over 2,200 in 2010 to over 49,000 in 2023, a 2,000 percent explosion. This has led to a measurable collapse in institutional responsibility, with real victims and a public vote of no confidence from one federal agency to another.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mail theft and crime are a growing concern for the US Postal Service, with over 49,000 mail theft attacks reported in 2023, up from just over 2,200 in 2010.
  • The Inspector General's office has developed a powerful data tool in collaboration with the financial services industry and the US Department of Treasury, which has identified around $50 million in stolen financial instruments, leading to 75 investigations and 35 indictments.
  • The United States Postal Inspection Service has launched Project Safe Delivery, which includes the National Strategy to combat mail theft and letter carrier robberies, and has installed over 23,000 high-security blue collection boxes nationwide, with an additional 16,000 to be installed shortly.
  • Mail theft can occur anywhere along the process in which mail is being sent or received, including at street level, at collection boxes, and at a person's mailbox at their house.
  • Americans can secure their personal identifying information against mail theft by picking up mail as soon as possible, signing up for informed delivery, and mailing in the most secure way possible.

Statistics:

  • There were over 49,000 mail theft attacks reported in 2023, a 2,000 percent increase from 2010.
  • The Inspector General's office has identified around $50 million in stolen financial instruments using a powerful data tool.
  • Project Safe Delivery has installed over 23,000 high-security blue collection boxes nationwide, with an additional 16,000 to be installed shortly.
  • Five letter carriers have been murdered while doing their jobs since 2022, and thousands of other postal employees have been violently attacked nearly every single day.

Sources:

  • Statement of Julius Rothstein, Deputy Inspector General, USPS Office of the Inspector General
  • Testimony of Brian Renfroe, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers
  • Testimony of Frank Albergo, President of the Postal Police Officers Association
  • Statement of Brendan Donohue, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service
  • Testimony of Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police, St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department
  • Hearing transcript, Subcommittee on Government Operations, US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform