RICHMOND, Va. — Representatives from the U.S. Postal Service and its Inspection Service reported progress in their fight against mail theft and carrier robberies in Richmond, noting zero postal robberies in the city so far this year.
"Today we're talking about something that's important to all of us: Combating crime and keeping our employees, our customers, and America's mail stream safe," said USPS Communication Specialist Philip Bogenberger.
The update comes nearly two years after the launch of "Project Safe Delivery," a nationwide initiative aimed at preventing mail thefts and protecting mail carriers from robbery.
Last year, Richmond police reported at least two mail carriers were robbed at gunpoint.
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Those cases still under investigation.
"This year, as far as postal robberies in Richmond, we have not seen any," Michael Romano, with the USPS Inspection Service, said.
Romano attributes the improvement directly to Project Safe Delivery's focus on finding, arresting, and prosecuting robbers, which has led to a 27 percent decrease in letter carrier robberies nationwide.
"We had more robberies in Hampton Roads than we did in Richmond, but our solution rate for both of those areas is well between 80 and 90 percent," said Romano.
While neither the Inspection Service nor the Office of the Inspector General shared specific numbers of mail theft cases investigated this year, officials did reveal that the Office of the Inspector General closed 115 internal mail theft cases in Virginia between October 2022 and September 2024.
Romano said there were 2,400 arrests made for mail theft in 2023, and then 1,200 arrests for mail theft in 2024.
The Inspection Service also discussed efforts to enhance security around carriers' arrow keys – the keys that open mailboxes and are frequently targeted by criminals.
"I can't get specific to our countermeasures, but I can tell you that deployed in this area, we do have some security countermeasures that are key alternatives, and we're going to continue to look at other technologies to basically devalue that arrow key," said Romano.
“I’m glad to see the USPS take the matter of postal worker safety and package theft seriously. I’ve been working for years to improve postal service throughout the Commonwealth, and have sponsored legislation to crack down on violence against postal workers and mail theft broadly. This is a positive step and I hope the USPS continues this transparency," said Senator Mark Warner when asked to share reaction to Tuesday morning's press conference.
Starting July 1, a new Virginia law will make mail theft a Class 6 felony, giving local prosecutors the ability to bring charges in addition to existing federal penalties.
USPS is now calling on the public to strengthen their own prevention efforts, including avoiding sending money, checks, or gift cards through the mail and never leaving mail unattended.
"I think over the past, in some cities, the focus was just enforcement," said Romano. "Now we're at a point where those numbers are coming down and now its really time to talk about the prevention piece."
Investigators warn that thieves are evolving their tactics beyond physical mail theft to include online scams.
The public is advised not to click on links in texts or emails claiming to be delivery notifications from USPS.
The Postal Service will only send such notifications to customers who have specifically signed up for alerts.
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