U.S. mail carriers are expressing concern for their safety amid a recent surge in robberies targeting them.
NBC News reports robberies of mail carriers have more than tripled and robberies involving a gun have more than quadrupled between 2018 and 2021, data from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service obtained by a public records request confirmed.
“It’s crazy that things like this are happening,” said John Cruz, president of the local letter carriers union, when discussing a November incident in which a suspect stole an arrow key from a mail carrier and opened fire during an ensuing pursuit in Brooklyn, via NBC News. “We need more protection out there.”
The data from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed the number of carrier robberies nationwide increased from 80 in 2018 to 261 in 2021, while the number of armed robberies spiked from 36 in 2018 to 154 in 2021.
Both categories are already on pace to exceed the previous year's totals in 2022.
The U.S. Postal Service referred questions to the Postal Inspection Service, which -- along with local police departments -- is responsible for investigations of carrier robberies.
“The Postal Inspection Service is engaged on multiple fronts with various partners to combat robberies and prosecute these criminals,” the branch said in a statement to NBC News.
The Postal Inspection Service said it believes the negative impact of the COVID crisis on the economy, as well as the rise of e-commerce leading to the growth in USPS parcel volume and the mailing of government checks during the pandemic aid programs are all among possible reasons for the significant spike in robberies during recent years.