Officials discuss mail carrier safety following recent robberies

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) - Authorities continue investigating two separate armed robberies involving U.S. Postal Service mail carriers in Cathedral City and Palm Desert over the past several days.

This is presenting new concerns for some local mail carriers. One telling News Channel 3 off camera that safety is always top of mind, being extra aware of their surroundings at all times.

Lucas Watanabe, U.S. Postal Inspector and PIO, says robberies have become alarmingly common, increasing between 2020 and 2023.

As a result, the Inspection Service has been working to implement stronger safety measures to ensure your mail carriers get home safe.

“In order to protect our mail carriers, which protecting them is really the core mission of the inspection service. Part of what we do is we go out and educate, we talk to our carriers... We saw the spike increase as a result the inspection service worked together with the postal service to come together with a joint plan called Project Safe Delivery… We implemented that in 2023 and from 2023 to present we are actually seeing a decrease in the robberies.” 

Lucas Watanabe, U.S. Postal Inspection Service

In 2023, there were about 500 robbery cases nationwide. Last year, that number decreased to under 400.

He says while seeing improvements, the most important thing for mail carriers to remember is that the most irreplaceable thing in the mail truck is the person who delivers it.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.