NYC Gazette

Congresswoman sends letter to head of the Postal Service 

QUEENS, NY – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she recently sent a letter to Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service (USPS), urging the agency to prioritize Queens in its newly announced effort to combat mail theft, and further secure green relay boxes throughout the borough. 

The Postal Service’s new Joint Project Safe Delivery is an initiative unveiled in May that features expanded crime prevention measures to crack down on the theft of mail. It includes replacing tens of thousands of keys used by letter carriers, installing high security collection boxes and implementing other important upgrades. The plan also seeks to enhance employee safety and strengthen consumer protections. It was announced after Meng called for more to be done to address mail theft. 

“My constituents deserve peace of mind that their correspondence, money, important information and documents will be safe while it moves through our mail system,” said Meng. “I have led efforts to make sure that mail is protected, and I hope that my letter to the Postmaster General will help ensure that Queens will benefit from this latest initiative, especially when it comes to green relay boxes. Like many places around the country, Queens has struggled with mail theft, and our borough should be prioritized. I look forward to the implementation of this new initiative and remain committed to working with the Postal Service to ensure safeguards for mail in Queens."

Over the past year, Meng has asked the Postal Service to address mail theft after receiving complaints from constituents. These include thieves stealing and altering their checks for thousands of dollars and stealing their personal information that has resulted in financial fraud.  

The Congresswoman sent letters to postal officials in July and December of 2022. She also introduced legislation earlier this year to strengthen the Postal Service’s ability to go after criminal organizations driving the theft of mail. 

In addition, Meng recently hailed the news of people being arrested for stealing mail in Queens. 

A copy of Meng’s letter to Postmaster General DeJoy can be viewed here, and the text is below.

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Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,  

I write to respectfully request the United States Postal Service (USPS), as part of its newly announced Joint Project Safe Delivery initiative, prioritize Queens, New York. As you know, Queens has become victim to incessant mail theft in the past three years. After repeatedly calling on the USPS to address this crisis in my district, I was pleased to learn the USPS and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are expanding actions to protect our nation’s mail.  

According to the USPS, the Joint Project Safe Delivery initiative will reduce mail theft and letter carrier robberies through updated electronic locks, a plan to reduce counterfeit postage, and increased security for blue collection boxes. I commend the USPS and the USPIS for these initial steps in improving mail security, however, the plan does not specify if these security upgrades would be made available for green relay boxes.   

As you know, the USPS utilizes green relay boxes, unique to densely populated urban areas, to help postal carriers manage the distribution of letters. These relay boxes are essential to the delivery of mail in my district, yet they remain susceptible to theft. In 2022, there were over 1,000 instances of mail theft reported to the USPS by my constituents, totaling nearly half a million in lost mail with none of it recovered. These losses are devastating for the Queens community, not only is money and other valuables lost, but identities are stolen and important medications are never received.  

In light of this, as the USPS continues to increase efforts to crack down on mail theft, I encourage you to prioritize communities in Queens and the inclusion of secure green relay boxes in your response initiative. I also urge the USPS to continue to update the public on the steps included in the Joint Project Safe Delivery and provide more detailed updates on its progress to combat mail theft. I thank the USPS for escalating steps to combat mail theft in the country, but I assure you, more needs to be done to restore my constituent’s trust in the postal system.  

I appreciate your immediate attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

Original source can be found here.