Background
This report presents the results of our audit of Mail Theft Mitigation and Response at the Parkside Station, Rincon Finance Center Station, and Townsend Carrier Annex Station in San Francisco, CA. The stations are in the California 1 District of the Retail and Delivery Operations, Western- Pacific Area. Our objective was to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s actions taken to mitigate and respond to mail theft in San Francisco, CA.
The Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure mail services, including for the more than 1.5 billion pieces of mail collected and delivered in San Francisco, CA, in fiscal year (FY) 2023. Unfortunately, mail theft occurs in various ways. Individuals use stolen universal keys — called arrow keys — to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units, and apartment panels. Mail theft can also occur by individuals fishing or breaking into collection boxes with force, residential mailbox break-ins, package theft, and carrier robberies. It is imperative for the Postal Service to address mail theft issues to protect the Postal Service and its employees and earn the public’s trust.
Concerns about how the Postal Service prevents and responds to mail theft frequently appear in the media and have been a topic of congressional hearings and inquiries received by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG). News articles have highlighted theft from blue collection boxes and green relay boxes in the San Francisco area, which included customers’ credit cards and checks.
Findings Summary
The Postal Service properly managed the installation of HSCBs; however, they did not properly manage the installation of eLocks in our three selected stations in San Francisco, CA. Management at the three stations we visited did not properly track their arrow and MAL key inventories. In addition, California 1 District management did not maintain or record the physical condition of blue collection and green relay boxes and could not track any information for the green relay boxes.
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Source: USPS OIG