Attacks on United States Postal workers have been increasing nationwide.
We spoke to an official from the United States Postal Service who says robberies and assaults of mail carriers have been on the rise and there are serious consequences for anyone found guilty of committing these crimes.
“Generally speaking, there has been an increase in certain crimes related to letter carriers, It appears that there’s a general increase nationwide.”
Gealey is based in Pittsburgh and says the main priority of his job is to support and protect the postal service and its employees.
“Every employee that works for us deserves to be working in an environment where they’re free from these types of crimes,”
Gealey says within the U.S. Postal Service they educate their mail carriers on these situations and how to respond.
“We take any reported incidents of carrier robberies very seriously and we work with our local law enforcement, federal use attorney’s office, federal agencies to identify these individuals and prosecute them to the fullest extent,”
Those found guilty of robbery in Pennsylvania could face up to 25 years in prison.
“And you know were going to pursue those twenty five years as best as we can with our other agencies We also offer rewards for up to fifty thousand dollars for information leading up to an arrest and conviction of anybody who is robbed or attempted rob of a carrier.”
Gealey says in the Greater Pittsburgh area which includes parts of our coverage area they haven’t seen these crimes come up as often as they do in other cities and towns across the nation.
“It’s good to have your help to spread the word that, hey were out there, were looking and if anyone tries to do these crimes, I mean they’re going to be punished and they’re going to spend a lot of time in jail,”
The United States Postal Service also offers employee assistance for their mail carriers and other employees who may have found themselves in a situation that could have been dangerous.