Artticle Courtesy of Multifamily Insiders

The USPS has rolled “Project Safe Delivery,” to address the rising issue of mail theft, particularly in multi-family residences. With a dramatic increase in both mail theft and violent attacks on mail carriers, it’s clear that action was needed.

The Growing Threat of Mail Theft

Since 2019, reports of high-volume mail theft from mail receptacles have surged by 139%, and attacks on mail carriers have increased by a staggering 845%. An April 2024 CBS News report attributed this spike to USPS’s inability to secure universal keys, compounded by technological advancements that enable criminals to share tactics and evade security measures more effectively.

USPS’ Project Safe Delivery Explained

“Project Safe Delivery” aims to be a public/private partnership strategy aimed at reducing mail theft through collaboration with multi-family properties, homeowners associations, and law enforcement agencies. The key components of the initiative include:

1. Enhanced Mailroom Security: Property owners are encouraged to install secure mailboxes, surveillance cameras, and restricted access systems to deter theft.
2. Community Education and Awareness: USPS aims to educate residents about mail theft and preventive measures through distributed materials and workshops.
3. Partnerships with Law Enforcement: Closer collaboration with law enforcement is essential for improving the investigation and prosecution of mail theft cases.
4. Improved Mail Delivery Practices: USPS plans to adjust delivery times to coincide with periods when residents are more likely to be home, reducing the risk of unattended mail being stolen.

Leveraging Multi-family Residential Real-time Video Surveillance

The initiative will help raise awareness about mail theft. And USPS initiative specifically encourages property managers to invest in upgrades to their surveillance systems. However, the initiative doesn’t include grants to assist with the cost of implementing new measures. 

Multi-family properties that really want to stop mailroom and package thieves in their tracks might want to go a step further and consider AI surveillance and remote guarding (multi-family residential real-time video monitoring.) These technologies offer proactive, real-time security solutions that can deter theft and provide valuable evidence for law enforcement. AI can monitor all your mailroom surveillance footage in real-time, alerting remote guarding services to anomalies. Guards boom out over a mic, letting the thief know they’re being watched, recorded and police are on their way.

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