DETROIT (WWJ) - Postal workers are holding a rally to draw attention to the increasing dangers faced by letter carriers.
Letter carriers across the country are being attacked and robbed on almost a daily basis, Sandra Laemmel, President of Branch 1 of The National Association of Letter Carriers, said. Laemmel said there have been incidents in the Metro Detroit area almost weekly over the last six to eight weeks.
Laemell said that the motive for most of the attacks is to get valuables from the letter carriers, whether their personal belongings or something that is being mailed. She said that it is rare for letter carriers to have anything of value on them.
The Postal Service does have an internal law enforcement, the Inspection Service and the office of Inspector General, Laemmel said. The issue is that most of the time they have to wait until something happens before they can do anything due to their limited power.
They are partnering with local law enforcement to help by having law enforcement more visible in areas where incidents have occurred, but Laemmel said even that isn't always enough.
"It seems that these people who mean harm, they move quicker than they can predict where they will pop up next," Laemmel said.
Laemmel, who has been with the Postal Service since 1976, said there has been a big shift in the way the public sees letter carriers. She said in the past, "the public looked out for us," but now they are facing more dangerous situations.
The "Enough is Enough" rally is being held at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 in front of the main post office in Detroit on Ford Street.
