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Congress reviews new bill to protect postal workers
Congress is trying to figure out how to better protect U.S. postal workers while on the job. That's why legislation is now being reviewed to stop crime against letter carriers. FOX 5's Sierra Fox reports from outside the Capitol with details.
WASHINGTON - Congress is moving to address the growing problem of violence against U.S. postal workers with new legislation aimed at enhancing their safety.
Lawmakers are currently reviewing the "Protect Our Letter Carriers Act," a bipartisan bill designed to curb the rising number of attacks on letter carriers across the country.
Brian Renfroe, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers, notes that the threat to postal workers has dramatically increased in recent years. "Letter carriers could walk down even the meanest streets of America, and nobody messed with us. Unfortunately, that really changed a few years ago," Renfroe said.
Since 2020, more than 2,000 violent attacks have been reported against letter carriers while on the job, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Renfroe attributes the rise in assaults to a broader decline in respect for postal workers, even in neighborhoods that were once considered dangerous.
USPS ramps up nationwide campaign to protect postal workers and secure mail from crooks
In a nationwide effort, the United States Postal Service (USPS) and its investigative arm, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are working diligently to crackdown on postal crime and crimes committed against postal employees.
To combat this issue, the proposed legislation would allocate $7 billion to the USPS for the installation of high-security blue collection boxes and the replacement of the universal mail key, known as the "arrow key," with more secure electronic versions. These upgrades aim to make it harder for criminals to steal keys and gain access to mail.
Don Maston, President of the National Rural Letter Carrier Association, emphasized the urgency of modernizing postal security measures. "The arrow keys are just old-school technology, and we’re living in a new environment these days," Maston said. He highlighted a recent audit by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which found that more than half of the robberies involving letter carriers were linked to the theft of their arrow keys.
FOX 5 has reported on several such incidents occurring in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas, underscoring the need for stronger protections.
"Our carriers are out there by themselves. If someone comes up with a gun and tries to do harm to them to get access to the mail, it’s very frightening for our carriers," Maston added.
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USPS increases reward for information leading to arrests of postal criminals
The USPS Inspection Service is increasing the amount of money people will get for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of someone who committed a postal crime.
In addition to physical security measures, the bill seeks to amend federal sentencing guidelines, treating assaults on postal workers with the same severity as those on police officers.
"Instead of a slap on the wrist, they get a more severe penalty. We believe that will be a deterrent to protect letter carriers and keep them from being a target out there," Maston said.
The legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate, but it has not yet passed either chamber.