Postal Inspectors and Postal Police Officers recently recovered almost $75,000 worth of missing mailing equipment in a single day, part of an ambitious crackdown on the theft of USPS property.
Lost mail transport equipment (MTE) — including pallets, letter trays and tubs — cost the Postal Service $120 million in 2013. Postal Inspectors investigate and seek prosecution when individuals steal, sell or knowingly misuse MTE.
The recoveries occurred on a recent day in June, when Postal Inspectors and Postal Police Officers visited 72 recycling facilities and scrap yards in New York City. The team also issued 28 warning letters.
The sweep was part of Operation Zone Impact Policing (ZIP), which is managed by Anthony Pisani, a physical security specialist in the Inspection Service’s New York Division.
Operation ZIP focuses on recovering MTE when prosecution isn’t feasible. Pisani dispatches “recon teams” to look for MTE at recycling facilities and scrap yards and take corrective steps if they find it.
The teams work with district transportation managers to take the recovered equipment back to postal facilities.
If you spot MTE where it shouldn’t be, call the MTE hotline at 866-330-3404 (anonymous tips are permitted) or report it via email.