Investigation spurred by Congresswoman Meng was conducted
by Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General following current spike
in mail theft throughout the borough
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service has agreed to implement the recommendations outlined in a new federal probe that revealed major mismanagement in how the agency is addressing the rise of mail theft in Queens.
The investigation – which was the first ever probe into mail theft in Queens – was launched in January by the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General after Meng urged the agency to conduct the audit. The results were released in a report in late May and it found numerous issues with the deployment and installation of mail theft mitigation initiatives throughout the borough. It also provided several recommendations to improve the situation, and Meng last month called for these recommendations to be implemented in letters she sent to the head of the Postal Service, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and the district manager overseeing postal operations in Queens, John Tortorice. In response to her correspondence, the Postal Service replied telling Meng that it will implement the recommendations.
“For more than two years, I have pushed the Postal Service to do more to combat the rampant mail theft that Queens residents have been forced to endure, and this investigation exposed just how extensive the problem is,” said Meng. “The Postal Service has clearly not been doing enough to fix the problem, especially with mail stolen from green relay boxes, and that is why it is crucial to implement the recommendations made by the Inspector General’s office. From checks and credit card statements to medication and personal items, everybody in our borough is entitled to safely send and receive their mail. I will continue to keep up the pressure on postal officials, and make sure that the recommendations are implemented.”
The Office of Inspector General is an independent entity within the Postal Service. It oversees the integrity and efficiency of the nation’s postal system, ensuring the accountability and transparency of postal operations.
The green relay boxes are used to store mail and are located next to many of the blue collection boxes throughout Queens.
Specific findings of the investigation disclosed that local postal facilities failed to track and secure keys to green relay boxes. Nor did these facilities properly track and deploy the installation of high-security boxes and electronic locks – technologies that are designed to better protect blue collection boxes and green relay boxes. Furthermore, they failed to maintain the condition of collection and relay boxes including those with cracks and gaps in the doors that contributed to the persistent theft.
The report makes seven recommendations to address these failures by the Postal Service:
- Develop and implement a plan, including communication strategy and available staff, for the timely deployment and installation of mail theft initiatives nationwide.
- Add the functionality to the Collection Point Management System to differentiate between blue collection and high security collection boxes.
- Direct the Vice President, Delivery Operations to update the Collection Point Management System to differentiate between blue collection and high security collection boxes in the New York 2 district.
- Reiterate arrow key security policies and responsibilities to managers and supervisors in Queens, NY.
- Require the New York 2 District Manager to confirm all arrow keys are added to the inventory in the Retail and Delivery Analytics and Reports system.
- Require the New York 2 District Manager to establish procedures to complete annual safety inspections, remediate deficiencies, and document the results for blue collection and green relay boxes.
- Develop a process to define roles, responsibilities, and frequency for inspecting green relay boxes, and to record and track the location and condition of green relay boxes.
The target implementation dates for the recommendations range from October 2024 to April 2025, and officials are now working to make these changes.
