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An out-of-control crime in the Democratic-run city of Seattle has forced the United States Postal Service (USPS) to suspend deliveries to an entire ZIP code for a week.
About 900 residents of ZIP Code 98118 did not receive their mail as delivery services were interrupted due to mail theft and “equipment security issues”.
They were told to collect their mail from the local post office and waited in long queues of up to an hour while delivery services were halted for a week before UPS lifted the ban. ban on Tuesday.
Thieves had stolen a master key used by the USPS to open collection boxes, clustered box units, and outdoor parcel lockers.
This comes as Seattle continues to experience rampant crime, drug problems and huge rates of homelessness.
Out of control crime in the Democratic-run city of Seattle has forced the United States Postal Service (USPS) to suspend deliveries to an entire ZIP code for a week
They were told to collect their mail from the local post office and stand in long queues of up to an hour while delivery services were disrupted before UPS lifted the ban on Tuesday.
Around 900 residents of the 98118 zip code did not receive their mail as delivery services were disrupted due to mail theft and ‘equipment security issues’
Residents who lived in the 98118 ZIP code said they were not told their deliveries had been interrupted and instead were discovered by neighbors or on Facebook.
“Mail delivery to less than 900 residents in parts of South Seattle was impacted last week due to equipment safety issues. Improvements have been made to affected equipment and all mail has been delivered to affected residents,’ a USPS spokesperson said.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as we work to keep the mail safe and sanctified.”
A sign was posted on a mail container in the District of Columbia that read, “Due to increased mail theft and vandalism, we will hold all mail for your address. We do not have an exact date when all master locks will be replaced.
As delivery services were suspended, residents were forced to wait up to an hour in queues at their local postal annex.
But any mail that was not collected during the week when services were interrupted will be delivered as normal.
Seattle’s violent crime rate is at its highest level in 15 years, based on its 2022 annual crime statistics, with 5,642 reported cases, including 52 murders, 321 rapes, 1,759 robberies and 3,510 lanes serious fact.
And crimes against property are at their highest since 2008 with 44,408 offenses recorded, including 8,678 for burglary and 28,627 for burglary.
This year there have been 16 murders, 103 rapes, 429 robberies and 925 aggravated assaults.
While 2,564 cases of burglary and 7,110 cases of burglary have been recorded so far in 2023.
Seattle, governed by Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell who was sworn in in January 2022, is also grappling with a drug problem and a homelessness crisis with a growing number of homeless encampments.
Seattle, governed by Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell who was sworn in in January 2022, is also grappling with a drug problem and a homelessness crisis with a growing number of homeless encampments.
Clinging to a needle, a man is completely bent over in the streets of Seattle
A man looks at the foil in which his fentanyl is burned, before inhaling the smoke through the roll into his mouth
Harrell has made it a point to tackle the growing number of camps sprouting up in the city, having inherited the crisis.
Seattle spent $173 million on its homelessness crisis in 2022. That’s a 125% increase from 2018, when $77 million was budgeted for the issue, according to city data.
The budget included a $9.8 million spending package dedicated to clearing encampments, which are often centered around RVS and home to dozens of homeless residents.
Despite the city’s efforts, however, the number of camps continued to rise, officials said, from 763 in May to 814 counted last June.
There were 13,368 homeless people in Seattle and King County last year.
And there is a problem with open-air drug markets on city streets with people openly taking and selling drugs in front of shocked locals.
The corner of 3rd Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle is particularly a hotspot for this problem with drug addicts seen overdosing and it is a haven for violent crime.
Postal carrier flights across the United States have quadrupled in the past 10 years and weapons were used in most of the 496 flights last year, according to data provided by the Postal Inspection Service.
In the first half of fiscal 2023, 305 mail carriers were robbed at work and more than 25,000 high-volume theft incidents were reported from mail receptacles.
A USPS carrier was robbed at gunpoint in March outside his mail truck near Judkins Park, according to the Seattle Police Department.
She was approached by someone holding a handgun and asked to hand over her work phone and keys.
And earlier this month, another delivery driver was held at gunpoint by a passenger in another car, but was able to get away.
Harrell has made it a point to tackle the growing number of camps sprouting up in the city, having inherited the crisis
310 homeless people died in 2022, the vast majority from drug overdoses
In January, Washington state officials made the chilling announcement that they were running out of space in morgues and crematoriums as drugs ripped through local communities.
Postman heists usually involve taking their master key to rob open collection boxes, cluster box units, and parcel lockers to steal items.
Carriers receive one per route and must return them at the end of the day, but a 2020 audit found the Postal Service had ineffective measures to track those keys with an unknown lost, stolen, or broken number.
Those who commit mail theft face a sentence of up to five years in prison while possession, concealment or disposal of property is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The USPS and the United States Postal Inspection Service revealed earlier this month that they were expanding security measures to stop mail theft and protect its carriers from attack.
Postmaster General and Chief Executive Louis DeJoy said: “As crime increases, so do the threats to our public servants.
“The men and women of the Postal Service walk the streets of our country every day to fulfill our mission of delivering mail and packages to the American people.
“Every postal employee deserves to work safely and not be targeted by criminals seeking access to public mail.”
Seattle’s out-of-control crime and drug problem have forced USPS to pause deliveries in one zip code