U.S. Postal Service: Inspection Service Should Document Its Law Enforcement Workforce Decision-Making Processes
Fast Facts
Serious crime cases against postal workers and property doubled over 2019-2023, from about 600 to nearly 1,200 cases. Robbery of postal workers, including letter carriers, grew nearly sevenfold in this time.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service's law enforcement employees respond to and try to prevent these crimes, often with the help of local police. For example, the Inspection Service may launch special operations in areas where robberies are up.
The Inspection Service hasn't documented its process for determining how many law enforcement workers it needs across its divisions to respond to serious crime. Our recommendations address this.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Inspection Service) is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The Inspection Service is charged with, among other things, protecting USPS employees and property against serious crime—which include robbery, burglary, assault, and homicide. According to GAO's review of Inspection Service data, cases of serious crime have increased almost every year from fiscal years 2017 through 2023. This is largely due to an increase in robbery cases, which increased nearly sevenfold from fiscal years 2019 through 2023 (see figure). GAO's review found that these robberies have generally targeted letter carriers, increasingly involved firearms, and targeted the universal keys which USPS employees use to access mailboxes.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service Serious Crime Cases, Fiscal Years 2017 - 2023
Postal inspectors and postal police are responsible for responding to serious crime. Specifically, in fiscal year 2023, more than 1,200 postal inspectors were responsible for investigating these crimes, among other responsibilities. About 370 postal police provided facility and perimeter security at 33 USPS properties—generally mail processing and distribution centers.
GAO found that the Inspection Service has not fully documented its processes for determining the size and location of its postal inspector and postal police workforce. For postal inspectors, Inspection Service officials described processes including regular reviews by division officials, but the processes were not documented. GAO also found that the Inspection Service partially documented such processes for its postal police workforce. Documenting workforce decision-making processes could help the Inspection Service ensure it allocates law enforcement resources according to mission needs. Further, the Inspection Service has not assessed the size and location of its postal police workforce since 2011. Officials said they are planning to conduct a new security force assessment, but they could not provide GAO the time frames for doing so. As such, it is unclear how long the Inspection Service will rely on outdated information to determine how to align its postal police workforce with current security needs.
Why GAO Did This Study
In recent years, letter carriers have been robbed, including at gunpoint, threatening their safety and the security of the mail they carry.
GAO was asked to review issues related to postal crime and law enforcement. This report addresses: (1) recent trends in cases of serious crime against USPS employees and property, (2) the responsibilities of postal inspectors and postal police in responding to serious crime, and (3) the extent to which the Inspection Service has processes for determining the size and location of its postal inspector and postal police workforce.
GAO analyzed data from the Inspection Service on serious crime cases from fiscal years 2017 through 2023, the most recent data. GAO determined the data were reliable for the purposes of this report. GAO also reviewed federal laws, workforce policies and procedures, and interviewed Inspection Service officials. GAO assessed the Inspection Service's workforce processes against internal control principles related to decision-making.
Recommendations
GAO is making three recommendations to USPS: (1) document processes for determining the size and location of the postal inspector workforce, (2) fully document processes for determining the size and location of the postal police workforce, and (3) set a time frame for completing a security force assessment for the postal police workforce. The Inspection Service agreed with all three recommendations and plans to take action to implement them.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Postal Service | The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector documents the Inspection Service's processes for determining the size and location of the postal inspector workforce across divisions, including factors that should be considered, and document the results of those processes. (Recommendation 1) |
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm the actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Postal Service | The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector fully documents the Inspection Service's processes for determining the size and location of the postal police workforce, including factors that should be considered. (Recommendation 2) |
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm the actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| United States Postal Service | The Postmaster General should ensure the Chief Postal Inspector sets a time frame for completing a security force assessment to determine the size and location of the postal police workforce. (Recommendation 3) |
In May 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. When we confirm what actions the Inspection Service has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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