Mail Theft Mitigation and Response: Sacramento, CA
This report presents the results of our audit of Mail Theft Mitigation and Response at the Sacramento Main Post Office, Fort Sutter Station, and Rancho Cordova Main Post Office in the Sacramento, CA, area (Project Number 24-163). These sites are in the California 2 District of the Retail and Delivery Operations, WestPac Area. Our objective was to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s actions taken to mitigate and respond to mail theft at selected delivery units in the Sacramento, CA, area. This is one of a series of mail theft audits across the Postal Service.
The Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure mail services, including the more than three billion pieces of mail volume processed in the Sacramento, CA, area in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Unfortunately, mail theft occurs in various ways. Individuals use stolen universal keys — called arrow keys — to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units (CBU), and apartment panels. Mail theft can also occur by individuals fishing or breaking into collection boxes with force, residential mailbox break-ins, package theft, and carrier robberies. It is imperative for the Postal Service to address mail theft issues to protect the Postal Service and its employees and earn the public’s trust.
Concerns about how the Postal Service prevents and responds to mail theft frequently appear in the media and they have been a topic of congressional hearings and inquiries sent to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG). News articles have also highlighted carrier robberies and theft in the Sacramento area from blue collection boxes and CBUs, which included customers’ credit cards, checks, and social security benefits.