Senator Brown wants to protect Ohioans’ mail and postal workers by proposing the Postal Police Reform Act.

By Pennie Spruill Last updated Dec 2, 2023

In order to help protect Ohioans’ mail, including their Social Security checks, prescriptions, and other valuable things, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced legislation today with both Democrats and Republicans. The Postal Police Reform Act would help stop the sharp rise in armed robberies targeting postal workers, who are usually after their “arrow” master keys. It does this by making it clear that Postal Police Officers can be sent to work outside of actual Post Office locations, which would help protect letter carriers on their routes.

According to the Postal Inspection Service, between 2018 and 2021, there was a sharp rise in armed robberies of letter workers. On their runs, postal workers often carry “arrow” master keys, which can fetch thousands of dollars on the black market because they let people get into cluster mailboxes and their contents.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), led by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, released a directive in 2020 that Postal Police Officers could only work on USPS properties. Because of this order, mail Police Officers have not been able to protect the mail service and the integrity of the postal system in places other than postal properties. Before the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which gave the USPS more power to control postal law enforcement, Congress regularly gave postal police officers the power to do their jobs on and off USPS land through language in the annual appropriations act. The Postal Police Reform Act of 2023 would go against Postmaster General DeJoy’s order from 2020 and allow Postal Police Officers to work outside of Postal Service land once more.

The Postal Police Reform Act of 2023 would make it clearer in federal law that Postal Police Officers can be sent to work outside of physical USPS locations to protect mail, Postal Service property, people on Postal Service property, and Postal Service employees who are on duty. This will make it possible for the Postal Service to put Postal Police Officers in charge of protecting letter carriers from thefts, which are usually done to get “arrow” master keys that can be used to steal mail later. The Postal Police Reform Act lets the Postal Service use the Postal Police as needed without having to pay extra.

Brown wrote to Postmaster General DeJoy and Inspector General Whitcomb Hull in October 2022 and asked them to put Postal Police Officers back on patrol and do what needed to be done to stop the rise in mail theft and postal robberies so that Ohioans and mail carriers would be safe. After sending this letter, in November 2022, Brown asked the USPS Board of Governors to move right away because USPS Postmaster General DeJoy and Inspector General Whitcomb Hull had not replied.

In March 2022, Brown decided to pass legislation that was supported by both parties. This legislation will ensure continued six-day delivery and make deliveries faster and more efficient. Last year, Brown led 33 of his colleagues in asking Postmaster General DeJoy why mail keeps getting late and what he is doing to get it delivered on time again. Brown also wrote a message to Postmaster General DeJoy with 33 other senators asking him to undo all the operational and organisational changes that caused Americans to wait longer for important medicines.