CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The dramatic increase in armed robberies of Chicago letter carriers has raised concerns with not only postal workers themselves but the public at large.
This week, on WBBM’s Looped In: Chicago podcast, Spencer Block, public information officer and postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Chicago office, discussed what’s possibly behind the disturbing trend and ways the agency is keeping its letter carriers safe.
Block believes harsh economic conditions that began during the COVID pandemic might have contributed to letter carriers becoming robbery targets.
“That was a challenging time for lots of people…I think when there are people who have no other resort other than to commit crime, then that's what they do,” Block said.
The postal inspector noted his agency is constantly watching for criminal patterns.
“As a law enforcement agency, we have to evolve how we do our investigations, how we respond to things, the type of things that we need to focus on as criminals of all,” said Block. “We have to keep up with them and address those issues in order to provide safety for our employees.”
Block insisted, locally, the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service is taking steps to increase postal worker safety.
“We've devoted additional personnel and resources to responding to and investigating violent crimes against postal employees in order to better combat these violent criminals,” he said.
Postal inspectors have met with letter carriers, encouraging them to look for robbery signs. Block also referred to the agency’s recent joint initiative with the US Postal Service: Project Safe Delivery.
“It's an initiative focused on reducing letter carrier robberies and mail theft, preventing fraud through the mail, among other things…A big part of that initiative is to make it harder for criminals to use the mail to commit crime by increasing physical security measures and advancing some of the technology the Postal Service utilizes,” Block said.
The bottom line, Block said, attentiveness is essential in preventing these robberies.
“We all have to be vigilant, keep an eye on our surroundings. If something doesn't seem right or seems off or you see something as a threat…move to somewhere that's safe and notify law enforcement if you feel like you need to do that,” said Block.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service operates a 24/7 hotline, open to everyone, Block noted. Anyone with a tip regarding a violent crime against a postal carrier is encouraged to call 1-877-876-2455.
You can listen to the full episode in the audio player embedded in this story. You can also find this episode on the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
Related
