NORFOLK, Va. — A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would add more protections for mail carriers after hundreds of them were robbed nationwide in the last year.
The Postal Police Reform Act would allow postal police officers to go on patrol with postal carriers.
This would reverse a 2020 directive in the Postal Inspection Service that said postal police could only guard post offices or other postal facilities.
Investigations
More USPS letter carriers are getting robbed while trying to deliver your mail
"The bill I've signed onto would reverse the post office's restriction and allow postal police to carry out their duties not just at postal facilities, but wherever these crimes are occurring," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia).
A similar bill was previously introduced in the House, but has stalled out.
News 3's I-Team has been looking into the growing number of mail carriers being robbed on the job with thieves targeting arrow keys, which can be used to open multiple mailboxes to steal mail.
Investigations
Attacks on letter carriers continue as leaders debate how to handle the issue
“They have a police force, a highly trained, effective postal police force which they refuse to use," Frank Albergo, National President of Postal Police Officers Association, told News 3 in September. "It makes no sense whatsoever."
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service did not respond to a request for comment on the bill, but previously told us there are legal questions over whether postal police officers can go out on patrol under the authority granted to them.
"We think the postal police should have the ability to carry out their law enforcement responsibilities at those sites as well," said Kaine.
Watch previous coverage: Attacks on letter carriers and mail theft continue as leaders debate how to handle the problem
News 3 spoke with a letter carrier in May who was robbed, but Tim Rein quickly returned back to work.
"This is my job and I'm not going to let nobody scare me from doing my job. I have a family to take care of," Rein told News 3.
While the issue has faced challenges in Congress before, lawmakers are hopeful this time they'll move it forward to better protect letter carriers.
