Congressman reacts to findings of Sacramento post office audit

Sacramento Rep. Ami Bera reacted to the findings of a newly released audit on mail theft.

Congressman Bera called for the audit last fall from the Office of Inspector General in the Postal Service with the rising number of mail thefts and residents’ complaints.

Inspectors found that USPS didn’t account for keys or do routine safety inspections of mailboxes, among other things.

Residents in the hard-hit area of Natomas are fed up with being targets of mail theft.

They created the group Keeping North Natomas Safe as part of their homeownership association.

“At least people won’t be coming out saying we’re just imagining this,” said Ed Perez.

Perez read the audit, which investigated three post offices.

Sacramento and Rancho Cordova’s main facilities and the Fort Sutter station.

“It’s a first good step because, for one, we finally have something documented that shows the extent of the problem,” Perez said.

The report focused on the causes of mail theft, such as thieves getting their hands on arrow keys.

Postal carriers use the universal keys to open cluster boxes, apartment panels and collection boxes.

Investigators found at the main building in Sacramento, 35% of arrow keys were missing, affecting eight zip codes.

At the Fort Sutter station, 21% of keys were missing, affecting three neighborhoods. And in Rancho Cordova, 3% of keys were unaccounted for, affecting one zip code.

“We always know where our keys are. That’s kind of absurd to have over 100 keys missing,” said Grady Arendain-Collins. He is also a member of Keeping North Natomas Safe.

The report also states that post office management did not verify key inventories, was unaware of missing keys, and that some postal carriers took the keys home.

“I didn’t see anything mentioned about replacing the locks, which was also pretty absurd to me. If someone has a key to your front door, the first thing you do is change the lock, and it’s not that hard,” Arendain-Collins said.

The inspector general recommends that post office management confirm all keys are accurately recorded, follow the 24-hour accountability process and offer more regular training.

Frustrated residents also want all the thousands of mail thefts investigated.

They report every break-in of cluster boxes and even give police surveillance video and information from license plate reader cameras, but Perez said they rarely see arrests.

“It feels a lot like we’re spinning our wheels, but we have to live through this, and that’s the motivating factor for us,” Perez said.

Bera said the audit uncovered serious deficiencies in how local postal facilities track, secure, and inspect mailboxes, particularly highlighting severe gaps in the oversight of arrow key usage.

“Despite extensive collaborative efforts from my office with USPS and USPIS to address the persistent concerns raised by constituents, the findings of this audit are completely unacceptable,” Bera said. “The audit identified serious systemic issues, including missing and unaccounted-for arrow keys, inadequate oversight and a troubling lack of mandatory inspections. The Postal Service must immediately implement the Inspector General’s recommendations to restore public trust and ensure that Sacramento County residents have the secure and reliable mail services they deserve.”

Sacramento postmaster Dagjeep Grewal was not available for an interview. USPS spokesperson Meiko Patton emailed a response.

“Pages 20-22 list all the recommendations given to our postal management as well as our response to each one.

We aim to comply with each recommendation by the implementation date given.

I referred you to the postal inspector in case you had questions about mail theft.

In addition, to crack down on crimes against the Postal Service and our employees, the Postal Inspection Service partnered with the Postal Service to introduce Project Safe Delivery.

Project Safe Delivery is an initiative to combat the recent rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents by protecting postal employees and the security of the nation’s mail and packages.

Here’s more on Project Safe Delivery: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/0312-usps-uspis-continue-nationwide-campaign-to-combat-postal-crime-and-protect-employees.htm

The Postal Service takes the security of mail and our customers’ trust very seriously.

We acknowledge the findings of the recent report on mail theft and are committed to implementing the recommended training and mitigation strategies.

These measures will further strengthen our efforts to safeguard the integrity of the mail and protect it from criminal activity.”

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