Senator’s new bill allows postal police to protect letter carriers from increasingly frequent robberies, mail theft, and assault
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema helped introduce the bipartisan Postal Police Reform Act alongside Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to enhance postal worker safety amid rising crime against them.
The bipartisan legislation grants Postal Police Officers the authority to protect letter carriers on the streets to crack down on crimes against postal workers, reduce mail theft, and restore safety and confidence in the U.S. Postal Service.
“We’re cracking down on rising crimes against postal workers to ensure they can do their jobs safely and continue delivering for Arizona families,” said Sinema.
In 2020, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) restricted the domain of Postal Police Officers to only physical USPS locations – revoking their ability to protect letter carriers on their delivery routes. In the three years since, assaults against postal employees delivering mail have increased by an alarming 231% according to the Postal Police Officers Association. Additionally, mail theft increased by 161% from 2021 to 2022.
The Sinema-backed Postal Police Reform Act would let Postal Police Officers be assigned to duty off USPS property – allowing them to better protect letter carriers against robberies and assault, reduce mail theft, and ensure mail and packages are delivered to the Arizonans that rely on the postal service for their health, businesses, education, and more.