Honoring Our Legacy; Inspiring Our Future

Introduction

In 1954, the title Post Office Inspector was changed one final time to “United States Postal Inspector.” This was to reflect postal inspectors’ jurisdiction over all operations of the Postal Service and the U.S. Mail, instead of solely Post Offices. Postal inspectors were investigators, recovery personnel, military mail organizers, and law enforcement agents who secured justice for crimes against postal employees and citizens utilizing the mail. Just like the surveyors, special agents, and Post Office inspectors who preceded them, postal inspectors constantly adapted to meet new and unexpected challenges to maintaining the safety and public trust in America’s mail system.

Air Mail

One such challenge came with the expansion of “air mail.” The dangers of transporting mail by aircraft were made clear when, in 1955, the first bomb planted in a mail bag exploded on board an aircraft.(25) Beginning in the 1950s, the Postal Inspection Service assumed responsibility for the recovery of mail during an investigation at a plane crash site—this responsibility stands today.

After that first bombing incident, postal inspectors began receiving special training in bomb investigations, and the agency hired forensics laboratory personnel capable of analyzing evidence from such events. In response to criminals targeting mail planes in hangars and on runways, the Postal Inspection Service adopted new safety procedures and developed anti-theft and security procedures for loading and unloading mail transported by air.(26)

Protecting the Hope Diamond

In 1958, renowned jeweler Harry Winston sold the Hope Diamond, the most expensive diamond in the world, to the Smithsonian Institution. The rare treasure was transported to its new home at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum using the U.S. Mail, with the Postal Inspection Service guarding and tracking the delivery. Winston paid $145.29 to mail the diamond, which was officially delivered to the Smithsonian by Letter Carrier James G. Todd from the Washington, D.C., Post Office — the same building that now houses the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.(27)

Creation of the ZIP Code

Post WWII, more Americans than ever utilized the U.S. Mail. On July 1, 1963, the United States Postal Service put in place the “ZIP Code,” a five-digit automated system for mail distribution — the same system we use today.(28)

Postal Inspector Robert Moon first proposed the system in 1943 by introducing a two-digit code for each large mail facility. His idea wasn’t taken seriously until 1960 when Postmaster General Edward Day recognized that a better source of organization was necessary. Postmaster General Day combined Inspector Moon’s original two-digit system with a new three-digit system to create the current five-digit ZIP (Zone Improvement Program) Code system. USPS created the “Mr. ZIP” character to include on printed materials to spread awareness about adding ZIP Codes to addresses when mailing letters and items. Mr. ZIP was specifically created to look like Inspector Moon.(29)

Interrogating Lee Harvey Oswald

By the 1960s, criminal attacks on the postal system were again on the rise, and criminals also used the mail to ship products used in other crimes. Lee Harvey Oswald used a mail-order rifle to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. When Oswald was arrested and interrogated, the final person to interview him before he was gunned down by Jack Ruby was Postal Inspector Harry Holmes. The interrogation involved getting information about where and how Oswald had purchased the weapon used to kill the president in Dallas, TX. Inspector Holmes discovered Oswald purchased the weapon by mail order in 1963 using the alias A. Hidell. The weapon was then shipped to him through the U.S. Mail.(30)

After Oswald exited the interrogation room, Jack Ruby, a well-known nightclub owner in Dallas, pulled out a weapon and shot him in front of a large audience of reporters and law enforcement officials. Oswald was pronounced dead later that afternoon.

Death of Michael Healey PPO

On June 21, 1981, tragedy struck the new Security Force when Officer Micheal Healy became the first Security Force officer to be killed in the line of duty. Two men entered the largest Post Office in downtown Chicago, Illinois, in an attempted robbery and ordered Officer Healy to release his weapon. Healy refused and attempted to disarm the criminals but was fatally shot. The two subjects, along with their getaway driver, were apprehended. On May 5, 1982, the two robbers were convicted of murder. The shooter was sentenced to life in prison, while his accomplice was sentenced to 40 years. The driver, who was only 16 years old at the time, was sentenced to four years in prison. In memory of Officer Healy, the official Postal Police badge logo bears his badge number, 3972.(32)

Helping to Stop Child Exploitation

In the 1980s, a team of postal inspectors helped write federal legislation to protect children against sexual exploitation. The Child Protection Act of 1984 strengthened prosecuting authority against producers and distributors of pornographic materials involving children. Prior to the adoption of this law, child pornographers could only be prosecuted federally if sexually explicit images of children were sold through the mail. Criminals were able to get around this by trading illicit materials with other predators. The 1984 law allowed for prosecutions of individuals either advertising or mailing sexually explicit material involving minors. Today, the Postal Inspection Service works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help track down child predators.(33)

Insider Trading

The Postal Inspection Service also played a critical role in bringing the perpetrators of the 1980s insider trading scandals to justice. In 1975, Ivan Boesky launched his own stock brokerage company with $700,000 worth of start-up money from his wife’s family. Using information not publicly available, Boesky amassed a multi-million-dollar arbitrage. Similarly, Michael Milken developed high-yield bonds, known as junk bonds, making millions of dollars in personal gains. Arguably while practicing mostly under the law, Milken often condoned questionable and illegal acts by colleagues.

While stock trades happened electronically, confirmations of the insider trades were sent by mail, giving inspectors jurisdiction over the cases. Postal inspectors were brought into the investigations by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Inspectors proved their efficiency and then became an important part of the Wall Street Fraud Team tasked with taking down many of the largest insider trading fraudsters. Insider trading is still common today, with investigations frequently put in the hands of postal inspectors. Frauds and schemes continue to be a major aspect of today’s Postal Inspection Service investigations.

The Unabomber

In 1996, postal inspectors used skills developed over 200 years to bring a notorious criminal to justice. Handwriting analysis conducted by postal inspectors helped end 20 years of terror at the hands of the “Unabomber,” Ted Kaczynski. (15)

Kaczynski first made it on postal inspectors’ radar in 1978 when a homemade bomb was delivered to Northwestern University in the mail. Over the next 17 years, Kaczynski mailed and hand delivered a series of bombs that killed three and wounded dozens more. The first two bombs were investigated by the Postal Inspection Service. After Kaczynski targeted an American Airlines flight in 1979, the FBI also began investigating. The FBI created a task force that included postal inspectors and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to investigate the case, and the Postal Inspection Service’s forensic teams documented the handwritten address on each mail bomb and analyzed the bomb components.

When the Unabomber’s 35,000-word manifesto was published by The Washington Post and The New York Times, thousands of tips came in from across the country. But one of the most valuable came from David Kaczynski, Ted Kaczynski’s brother. David sent the authorities letters and documents written by his brother, which they compared to the handwritten addresses. The brother also recognized the writing style of the manifesto from the Unabomber as being similar to his brother’s.

Members of the task force located Ted Kaczynski’s hideout in Lincoln, Montana. On April 3, 1996, law enforcement combed through the rural and primitive cabin. There, they found large amounts of bomb materials and 40,000 handwritten journal entries that included bomb-making experiments and descriptions of Kaczynski’s crimes. Kaczynski was arrested. In 1998, he entered a plea deal to receive life in prison without parole.(34)