Mail carriers are increasingly being targeted by criminals in the Bay AreaOn May 4th, a suspect is accused of robbing a mail carrier in Antioch and allegedly stealing postmaster keys, which can be used to open mailboxes.
In San Francisco, a $50,000 reward was recently announced for information on a suspect that robbed a mail carrier on Folsom Street back in March.
The Bay Area isn’t the only region dealing with the issue.
Nationwide, robberies of postal carriers have exploded, surging 78% to nearly 500 in 2022, according to data provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
Robberies have more than quadrupled over a decade, according to the data. Weapons were used in most of the 496 robberies, injuring 31 postal carriers, last year.
Letter carriers are demanding action from the U.S. Postal Service: “The National Association of Letter Carriers is outraged and angered by the assaults, armed robberies, and even murders that America’s letter carriers increasingly face as they deliver the mail. These attacks are completely unacceptable,” said Paul Barner, the union’s executive vice president.