Mail Delivery Halted Over Rising Crime in Seattle

In a Nutshell:

• Mail delivery in southeast Seattle, disrupted due to a string of mail thefts and equipment security concerns, is expected to resume. The USPS halted deliveries for almost 900 customers last week amidst rising city-wide crime rates.
• USPS and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have launched the Joint Project Safe Delivery initiative, aimed at reducing letter carrier robberies, preventing change of address fraud, and countering counterfeit postage, amidst escalating crime rates nationally.
• Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell has implemented measures to enhance public safety, including a plan to boost police numbers. Efforts appear to be yielding results, with an 18% decrease in violent crimes in the final quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Mail delivery in southeast Seattle is set to resume following a spate of mail thefts and “equipment security concerns” that disrupted services for nearly 900 customers.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) halted deliveries in the 98118 ZIP code last week, directing residents to pick up their mail at a local annex.

The issue comes amid escalating crime rates in Seattle, which in 2022 experienced a 15-year high in violent crimes and recorded its second-highest number of firearms seized by the Seattle Police Department.

Robberies of postal carriers across the U.S. have also surged, quadrupling over the past decade with 496 incidents involving weapons reported in 2022.

USPS has initiated improvements to the affected equipment and assured that all mail would be delivered to residents as usual.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as we work to preserve the safety and sanctity of the mail,” USPS spokesperson Kim Frum told Newsweek.

USPS, in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, has rolled out expanded crime prevention measures under the Joint Project Safe Delivery initiative. This aims to minimize mail theft, improve employee safety, and strengthen consumer protections.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell is spearheading initiatives to enhance public safety, including launching the Comprehensive Police Recruitment and Retention Plan to increase police numbers.

These efforts seem to be paying off, as the last quarter of 2022 witnessed an 18 percent decrease in violent crimes compared to the same period in 2021.

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