(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Citing a growing number of armed robberies of postal workers, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has urged more protections for carriers delivering the mail.
The Democrat says a rapid alert system set up in response to robberies years ago has been discontinued.
He said he’s writing again to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, as well as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, to ask them to enforce stiffer penalties for those who attack postal workers.
“Food deserts are becoming delivery deserts,” Durbin said at a news conference Monday in Bronzeville.
President of Branch 11 of the National Association of Letter Carriers Elise Foster says she’s heard from terrified workers after they’ve been held up.
Foster says the Postal Service told them it’s working on new technology to eventually make arrow keys less of a target of thieves. These are used to access mail deposit boxes.
President Luis Rivas from Branch 2076 in Des Plaines says it’s not just a city problem.
He said he’s heard from co-workers and customers about checks being stolen out of mailboxes in the suburbs and re-written for thousands of dollars.
A USPS spokeswoman encourages customers to take steps to reduce their risk.
They include signing up for Informed Delivery and not letting checks or credit cards sit in mailboxes.
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