MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s mail carriers union is bringing attention to a frightening pattern. They are getting weekly reports of mail carriers being harassed while on the job.
“Just seems odd that there's an uptick in physical threats and verbal threats to the workforce,” said Dave Skowronek, The National Association of Letter Carriers Milwaukee-area President.
One was even robbed at gunpoint Wednesday.
Milwaukee Police tell us an armed suspect came up to the mail carrier near 88th and Chambers Wednesday afternoon, stealing property from him.
Karissa Brunette lives near the robbery. She said, “In such a public spot, it’s unbelievable.”
Brunette says she was walking her dog, Blahz, when the robbery happened, “I mean it's terrifying. Who knows what could have else happened.”
JoAnn Carini’s door camera captured when police tried to see if she witnessed the robbery, but she was with her grandson, ”I was so sad because that postal carrier is a wonderful young man and I feel so bad that that happened to him.”
Thankfully, police say the mail carrier was not hurt, but they are still searching for who is responsible.
“It’s not okay, you shouldn’t have to be worried about that when you’re doing your job,” said Skowronek, who says this is at least the third time this year that a letter carrier in the Milwaukee area has been robbed. “Holdups trying to get the packages or access keys from the carriers.”
Skowronek says mail carriers are becoming targets nationwide, because of a universal key thieves want to take from them, which allows postal workers to access blue mailboxes. “They’re universal by zip code. We go door to door daily and people are starting to take advantage of us.”
We reached out to USPS for comment. While they could not address any incidents of crimes against mail workers in the Milwaukee area, they did send us this statement:
The increase in crime throughout the country over the past several years has resulted in escalating criminal incidents against United States Postal Service (USPS) employees and the mail. Every postal employee deserves to work in safety and to be free from targeting by criminals seeking to access the public's mail. In an increasingly challenging environment, the USPS and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are highly focused on protecting postal employees and property and ensuring the secure delivery of the nation's mail and packages.
Recognizing these ongoing safety threats, we have been - and will continue to- implement an engaged, robust nationwide initiative to harden blue collection boxes, enhance collection box key and lock technology and institute dual authentication for change of address protocols. These measures not only protect the integrity of the mail but offer additional safeguards for our carriers and other employees. Furthermore, USPS and USPIS are partnering with federal and local authorities to enforce the laws and bring criminals to justice.
We will continue to adapt to evolving security threats and implement expanded measures to safeguard our employees and preserve the security of the mail that our customers expect and deserve.
The Postal Service will be releasing and implementing additional preventative, protection, and enforcement measures later this spring.
The Postal Inspection Service is also dedicated to educating the American public on crime prevention steps they can take to help protect the mail and mail carriers. Customers can take several steps to protect their mail and their carriers, including:The Postal Inspection Service encourages customers to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint by clicking here at or calling 877-876-2455.
- Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox. You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day.
- Deposit outgoing mail at your local Post Office.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
- Consider starting a neighborhood watch program. By exchanging work and vacation schedules with trusted neighbors, you can watch each other’s mailboxes and residences.
- Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
