The U.S. Postal Service is installing new mailboxes and changing the locks on older mailboxes to crack down on postal crimes.
Violence against letter carriers has soared across the country in recent years. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said it made more than 100 arrests for robberies and more than 530 arrests for mail thefts from May through September.
Thieves often steal arrow keys, which open multiple mailboxes, then take checks and rewrite them for larger amounts.
Through the Project Safe Delivery Program launched in May, the USPS is installing 10,000 high security mailboxes that have a slit with metal teeth instead of the traditional door.
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The USPS also will replace almost 50,000 locks with electronic locks, making arrow keys useless.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service also said it is increasing rewards for information about postal crimes that leads to an arrest or conviction.
The News4 I-Team found the agency has issued rewards in nine cases since 2019 totaling $89,000.
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