Bay Area mail crime 'explodes', postal police union blames dwindling force

SAN FRANCISCO - Mail crime is at an all-time high all over the country, and the Bay Area has seen its share of violent robberies and brazen mail theft.

US Postal Inspectors made arrests on Sunday after catching alleged mail thieves in the act, but there’s concern over whether they’re being convicted and sentenced to the highest degree.

Inspectors said members of the public reported their mail missing after using the blue boxes outside a post office in San Francisco, which initiated an investigation.

The surveillance video shows two people using a stolen key to remove mail from blue boxes at the 18th Street Station Post Office in San Francisco around 10:30 on Sunday night. A member of the public is seen strolling by while the alleged thief shuffles between the boxes.

Moments later, police lights and sirens come into frame as police inspectors chase down the suspects. Inspectors said they arrested two men and recovered the stolen mail key.

"Postal inspectors are out day and night looking for mail thieves, arresting people suspected of taking mail," said Matthew Norfleet, with the US Postal Inspection Services, or USPIS.

Video from July 2023 shows a mail truck being broken into in a neighborhood in Oakland, as thieves throw mail into the trunk of a sedan.

In January, a couple of men were caught on video taking an entire collection of mailboxes from the ground at an apartment complex in Fremont.

"The criminals are ingenious in that they have different ways that they find to steal mail," said Norfleet.

Back in February, Leroy Wise was sentenced to only 30 days in jail after being convicted of putting a gun to a mail carrier’s head in a 2022 robbery, even though federal prosecutors recommended 28 months.

"We’re going to continue to investigate those, bring people to justice, whenever possible, and the courts will make the decisions about what the appropriate sentences are," said Norfleet.

Court documents say Wise told the postal worker, "Don’t move, lay there, or I’m going to shoot." 

The worker, scared for his life, "thought of his wife and children and bade them a silent goodbye."

"Every robbery, threat, and assault to a postal worker who’s working is serious to us," said Norfleet.

According to USPS The Eagle Magazine, "USPIS robbery cases exploded by 350% while the conviction rate plummeted by 53% from FY2019 to FY2022."

The postal service has uniformed police officers who protect mail carriers and mail, called Postal Police Officers, who work alongside the Postal Inspectors. National President of the Postal Police Officers Association, Frank Albergo, said there has been a reduction of the police force, contributing to the crime spike. 

"We’ve never seen postal crime like this before," Albergo said. "Right now, mail crime is fueled by check fraud."

In 1980, there were more than 2,500 uniformed postal police officers across 66 cities in America. By 2020, there were only 450 officers in 20 cities, including San Francisco and Oakland.

"The postal service is disempowering us and dismantling us. It’s really concerning, during a postal crime wave," Albergo said.

The union is currently suing the postal service to get back out on the streets and be more involved in mail crime investigations. The officers are currently restricted to patrolling the post office building locations, according to Albergo.

"Can postal police stop the mail theft epidemic? No we can’t, but can we make a dent in it? Obviously," he said. 

USPIS officials said according to law, "[t]he Postal Service may employ police officers for duty in connection with property owned or occupied by the Postal Service, or under the charge and control of the Postal Service, and persons on that property, including duties in areas outside the property to the extent necessary to protect the property and persons on the property."  

Ultimately, USPIS claims the investigation of mail crime is the jurisdiction of postal inspectors, not postal police officers. 

"Postal Inspectors are federal law enforcement agents who conduct investigations of postal-related crime, such as mail fraud and theft," a statement from USPIS said.

Inspectors advise the public to report all suspected mail crimes. To alleviate theft and protect your mail, customers should not leave mail in their mailbox any longer than necessary. Inspectors also advise people to take mail into the post office and hand it to a worker in person, rather than dropping it in a blue box.

No charges have been filed against the people arrested on Sunday in San Francisco. Officials did not release their identities.

This story was reported from Oakland, Calif.