House Oversight subcommittee presses USPS on surge in mail theft, safety of letter carriers

At a House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations hearing, lawmakers and witnesses pressed Postal Service officials and independent oversight bodies on a surge in mail theft, violent attacks on letter carriers and the pace of federal and local responses.

The hearing centered on the Postal Inspection Service's national anti-theft strategy, Project Safe Delivery, oversight findings from the Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and legislative proposals to change enforcement authority and fund modernization.

Why it matters: mail theft and robberies of letter carriers have direct effects on people who depend on mail for medication, checks, ballots and other essential items, and on the safety of the workers who deliver them. Committee members said the trend has eroded public trust in the mail system and called for faster operational fixes and clearer enforcement authority.

Inspector in charge Brendan Donahue described the Inspection Service's response since Project Safe Delivery launched on May 12, 2023. Donahue said the agency has installed more than 23,000 high-security blue collection boxes and planned an additional 16,000, replaced more than 42,000 arrow locks with electronic locks with another 55,000 planned, and increased enforcement activity. He reported roughly 419 arrests for letter carrier robberies and more than 2,700 arrests for mail-theft-related crimes, 16 enforcement surge operations in 10 cities leading to 68 arrests, and more than 1,000 investigative actions. Donahue said the Inspection Service has hired 10…