Ahead of Subcommittee Hearing with Postmaster DeJoy, Ranking Members Raskin, Mfume, and Connolly Press for Details on New Crime Prevention Plan
Letter Follows Announcement by the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service to Protect Mail Carriers and Address Mail Theft
Washington, D.C. (May 16, 2023)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting details on the Postal Service's new plans to protect postal employees.
"We seek to understand how you plan to address the increasing violence against these critical federal employees as they deliver mail and packages to every home and business in the United States every day," wrote the Ranking Members.
An alarming report from the Associated Press revealed robberies of postal carriers have skyrocketed, surging 78% and resulting in nearly 500 incidents between 2021 and 2022. According to Postal Inspector Service (PIS) data, robberies of mail carriers more than tripled, and robberies involving a gun more than quadrupled, between 2018 and 2021. According to press reports, the Postal Service informed the Department of Justice that there have been more than 165 armed robberies of letter carriers over a five-month period—between October 2021 and March 2022.
"Given the severity of this issue, we believe it is imperative to take swift and decisive action to protect postal carriers from abuse and restore public confidence in the safety and reliability of our mail system. We respectfully request that you provide to this Committee no later than June 12, 2023, a detailed plan outlining your past, current, and future efforts to hold thieves and assailants accountable, and better secure the physical safety and wellbeing of postal workers across the country," they continued.
During the 117th Congress, then-Chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee, Rep. Connolly, held multiple hearings in Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, to assess the Postal Service's mail delivery performance, worker safety, and efforts to reduce mail theft. On August 2, 2022, Committee Democrats also requested the Government Accountability Office to examine the effectiveness of the Postal Service's use and deployment of Postal Police to prevent and reduce crime.
Click here to read the letter.
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