Audit finds that USPS is not doing its part in helping prevent mail theft in Sacramento

CBS News

28-03-2025

SACRAMENTO – As mail theft continues to hit the community, an audit is finding that the U.S. Postal Service is not doing its part in helping to protect people's mail from getting stolen in Sacramento.
After a surge of complaints from constituents, Congressman Ami Bera called on the on the
USPS Office of Inspector General to conduct an audit
of the three Sacramento post offices, finding that they are not doing enough to track, secure and inspect mailboxes.
The three post offices that were visited for the audit were the Sacramento Main Post Office on Royal Oaks Drive, Fort Sutter Station on Alhambra Boulevard and Rancho Cordova Post Office on Progress Court.
"The other day this one was broken into, and the mailman just drove up while they were still open, and he was just amazed," said Lawrence Raleigh who lives in North Natomas. "What can we do."
Raleigh said the cluster mailbox on his street has been broken into too many times to count. It is why is checks his mail daily, right after it gets delivered, to beat any potential thieves from getting their first.
"I am not holding the postmen, the postwomen who deliver the mail accountable, but the postal service does have to take their responsibility seriously," Bera said.
The audit found that the three Sacramento post offices it visited did not properly track the inventory of their master keys, known as arrow keys. The audit also found there is no tracking system to determine if a cluster mailbox is postal-owned or privately owned and there were no annual safety inspections for the conditions of different kinds of mailboxes.
Bera thinks the key problem is the thieves have their hands on the master arrow keys to unlock the boxes.
"If those keys are out there it's easy for bad criminals to make copies," Bera said.
The USPS created Project Safe Delivery in 2023 to try and combat mail theft. As of September 2024, it had installed 141 electronic locks and 141 high-security electric boxes in Sacramento.
"We acknowledge the findings of the recent report on mail theft and are committed to implementing the recommended training and mitigation strategies," USPS said in a statement to CBS Sacramento. "These measures will further strengthen our efforts to safeguard the integrity of the mail and protect it from criminal activity."
The audit lists deadlines for when the USPS needs to complete each action step in response to the findings. Bera said the next step is accountability.
The USPS also said that unfortunately, mail theft continues to be an issue for the local community and is reflective of overall crime.
It told CBS13 that the Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service, is rigorously pursuing those responsible for these actions.
"It's scary," Raleigh said. "It could be our mailbox. It could be our mail."