USPS replacing universal keys to deter letter carrier robberies

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service has announced a new measure to keep mail carriers safe.

The number of letter carrier robberies is on the rise nationwide. Attacks on letter carriers, like the ones caught on camera in Peabody and Melrose, are motivated by the "Arrow Key" that can access the big blue mailboxes.

The USPS is replacing those keys with digital locks that can't be stolen, in hopes that would-be robbers will leave their employees alone. They are also installing 12,000 "high security" blue collection boxes nationwide that will be tougher to steal from.

"We're doubling down on our efforts to protect our Postal employees and the security of the mail,"  said Postal Inspection Service Chief Gary Barksdale in a statement. "We are hardening targets - both physical and digital - to make them less desirable to thieves and working with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice."

The USPS said 412 letter carriers were robbed while working in Fiscal Year 2022, and 305 incidents have already been reported in the first half of this year.