Background

This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery and customer service operations at the New Orleans Central Carrier Station in New Orleans, LA. The New Orleans Central Carrier Station is in the Louisiana District of the Southern Area. This audit was designed to provide U.S. Postal Service management with timely information on potential scanning and mail delivery risks at the New Orleans Central Carrier Station.

The delivery unit has a total of 81 city routes which are delivered by 98 full time city carriers and 31 city carrier assistants. The New Orleans Central Carrier Station also has 14 clerks. We chose this station based on our analysis of city carriers returning after 6:00 p.m. using data from the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW).

Our fieldwork was completed before the President of the United States issued the national emergency declaration concerning the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on March 13, 2020. The results of this audit do not reflect operational changes and/or service impacts that may have occurred at this facility as a result of the pandemic.

• Finding #1: Undelivered and Delayed Mail
  During our site visit on February 25-26, 2020, we identified mail that had been delayed and was not accurately reported in the Customer Service Daily Reporting System (CSDRS) as required.

• Finding #2: Package Delivery Scanning and Handling
  We determined that employees were not following package scanning and handling policies.

• Finding #3: City Carriers Returning After 6 p.m.
  We determined that city carriers at the New Orleans Central Carrier Station were returning to the office after 6:00 p.m.

• Finding #4: Safeguarding of Assets
  New Orleans Central Carrier Station management did not properly manage and safeguard Postal Service assets including arrow lock keys, Voyager Fleet cards, and mail delivery vehicles.

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Source: USPS Office of Inspector General