As a key step in fulfilling our commitment to the American public, the US Postal Inspection Service recently completed a week of intensive operations in support of Project Safe Delivery. Additional postal inspectors and other personnel from across the country took part in this nationwide initiative centered in Los Angeles.
Project Safe Delivery is a joint USPS and Postal Inspection Service crime prevention initiative to protect postal employees and facilities, prevent mail and package theft and enforce the law against individuals who perpetrate crimes against postal employees or engage in mail and package theft. This initiative focuses on three primary objectives — enforcement, prevention, and protection — with the goals of increasing the safety of USPS letter carriers, apprehending, and charging violent criminals, mail thieves, and “money mules,” while protecting the sanctity of the US Mail.
Over the course of this phase of the initiative, a wide-ranging law enforcement partnership, consisting of postal inspectors along with local, state, and other federal agencies, arrested a total of 14 suspects related to postal robberies and/or mail theft. In addition to arrests, postal inspectors carried out four search warrants of suspected criminal enterprises, conducted 32 surveillance operations and 68 investigative activities of suspects believed to be involved in theft, robbery, and other illicit financial crimes. Additionally, over 1,000 pieces of stolen mail was recovered. These prevention activities included presentations at local police department roll calls. In addition, security and property accountability reviews were conducted at postal facilities across Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties and safety presentations were provided to postal employees.
“Protecting USPS employees and customers is at the cornerstone of our mission. These directed initiatives exemplify the dedication of Postal Inspection Service personnel and their law enforcement partners to bring to justice those individuals who commit criminal acts against USPS employees and steal from the US Mail,” said Carroll N. Harris, Inspector in Charge of the US Postal Inspection Service, Los Angeles Division.
This is the first intensive operation in Los Angeles as part of Project Safe Delivery, with more to come. The US Postal Inspection Service appreciates the support and collaboration of all the law enforcement partners who helped make this phase of the initiative a success, including the Los Angeles, Murrieta and Baldwin Park Police Departments, FBI-LA Swat and the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, among others.
The US Postal Inspection Service values all our law enforcement partners and is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity and preserving the integrity of the US Mail.
Submitted by Marjan Barrigan-Husted
