U.S. Postal Inspection Service Conducts Two Weeks of Intensive Operations in Chicago as part of Project Safe Delivery

Chicago – The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) recently rolled out Project Safe Delivery in the Chicago area, kicking off with two weeks of intensive operations. Additional postal inspectors and other personnel from across the country took part of this nationwide initiative. Project Safe Delivery is a joint USPS and USPIS crime prevention initiative to protect postal employees and facilities, prevent mail and package theft and enforce the law against individuals who perpetrate crimes against postal employees or engage in mail and package theft. Personnel who supported this operation included postal inspectors, physical security specialists, homeland security coordinators, intelligence analysts, and others. These personnel focused on three primary objectives – enforcement, prevention, and protection – with the goals of increasing the safety of USPS letter carriers, apprehending, and charging violent criminals, mail thieves, and “money mules,” and protecting the sanctity of the U.S. Mail.

Over the course of this phase of the initiative, a wide-ranging law enforcement partnership, consisting of postal inspectors along with local, state, and other federal agencies, arrested a total of five suspects, conducted 35 surveillance operations of known criminal enterprises, conducted over 65 interviews of “money mules” and illicit financial account holders, and participated in over 300 prevention activities. These prevention activities included presentations at
local police department roll calls. In addition, security and property accountability reviews were conducted at postal facilities across Chicago, and hundreds of in-person safety presentations were delivered to area postal employees. “The enforcement, prevention, and protection activities completed during the initiative played an immeasurable role in advancing ongoing criminal investigations in the Chicago area,” said Ruth Mendonça, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chicago Division. This is the first two-week intensive operation as part of Project Safe Delivery, with more to come.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service appreciates the support and collaboration of all the law enforcement partners who helped make this phase of the initiative a success, including the Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Secret Service, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Illinois, among others. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values all our law enforcement partners and is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity and preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail.