Letter carrier robberies continue as USPS, union, lawmakers seek solutions

By DAVID SHARP
Associated Press

The number of robberies of postal carriers grew again last year and the number of injuries nearly doubled, even as the U.S. Postal Service launched crackdown aimed at addressing postal crime. Figures provided to The Associated Press indicate postal carrier robberies reached 643 last year. That’s an increase of nearly 30%. Also, robberies resulting in injuries doubled to 61 among letter carriers last year. Houston postal carrier Tijuana Abbott says postal carriers feel like “sitting ducks.” The Postal Service began a crackdown last year that included hundreds of arrests while replacing tens of thousands of the universal keys sought by criminals, and robberies slowed over the past five months.