Mail carriers from across the country gathered in downtown Reno to demand change in their safety.
According to Nicky Phillips, chief executive of the Rural Mail Carriers Association, violence against postmen occurs far too often.
“Too many people are injured in the course of their work among our delivery workers across the country.”
Since 2020, there have been more than 2,000 crimes against postmen. Most of these crimes were robberies.
Don Maston, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, says thieves are targeting mail carriers to steal their keys.
“The theft consists of stealing the arrow keys that the delivery people use to access the blue mailboxes, or the boxes that the delivery people put the mail in… and they do this for the purpose of identity theft.”
In May, a bipartisan bill called the Protect our Carriers Act was introduced in Congress.
Under this law, prosecutors in all 94 U.S. judicial districts would investigate crimes against USPS employees and prosecute the perpetrators.
The attorneys general would also oversee criminal prosecutions.
The bill would also provide the USPS with $1.4 billion annually to improve mail security, including through a new Mail Key system.
“Our outdated arrow key system allows access to virtually every mailbox in the city, and they’ve been around for decades. So the legislation would replace them all with an electronic, modern version. So if someone steals the arrow key from a mail carrier, the file is simply deactivated,” Maston said.
Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, says it’s important for community members to report any suspicious activity they notice involving mail carriers in their neighborhood.
“You know, your mailman is there for you every day. If you notice anything unusual, the best thing to do is contact the police. You never know, it could make the difference between one of these crimes happening or not.”
