U.S. Rep. Grace Meng called out the United States Postal Service (USPS) for failing to fully implement its plan to combat mail theft in Queens, according to a news release from Meng’s office. Postal officials agreed to implement recommendations suggested by the USPS Office of Inspector General by the end of April 2025, but she claimed they have yet to do so.
Meng sent a letter to David Steiner, postmaster and CEO of USPS, calling its inaction “unacceptable” and urging the remaining recommendations be implemented immediately. She emphasized that criminals are still stealing items such as residents’ checks, credit cards, bank and personal information, medication and personal items.
“Enough with the delays and broken promises — the postal service needs to act,” Meng said. “As the agency drags its feet, many Queens residents continue to be victims of mail theft. It has to stop, and I will keep up the pressure on postal officials until all of the recommendations are put in place and mail theft declines in our borough.”
As of press time, USPS has not responded to QNS’ request for comment.
Last year, the OIG launched the first ever federal probe into mail theft in Queens, at Meng’s request, after she received complaints from constituents. Complaints were primarily about thieves stealing their mail from local green relay boxes — which are used to store mail and are often located next to blue collection boxes throughout Queens — so Meng urged the inspector’s office to investigate.
The OIG is an independent entity within USPS that oversees the integrity and efficiency of the nation’s postal system, ensuring the accountability and transparency of postal operations.
According to the news release, the OIG’s investigation revealed major mismanagement by USPS in addressing mail theft in Queens. The report, released in May 2024, made seven recommendations to improve the situation, the news release continued — all of which postal officials agreed to implement by the end of April 2025.
However, Meng noted that only four of the seven recommendations have been implemented. After missing the April deadline, Meng said USPS told her it needed more time to implement the three other recommendations. Earlier this year, USPS pushed the implementation date to Oct. 31, but it recently postponed one part of the plan to Feb. 28 and another part of the plan to March 31 of next year.
The specific recommendations and their status are as follows:
Implemented
- Added the functionality to the Collection Point Management System to differentiate between blue collection and high security collection boxes
- Directed the vice president of delivery operations to update the CPMS to differentiate between blue collection and high security collection boxes in the New York 2 district
- Reiterated arrow key security policies and responsibilities to managers and supervisors in Queens
- Required the New York 2 district manager to confirm all arrow keys are added to the inventory in the Retail and Delivery Analytics and Reports system
Not Implemented
- Develop and implement a plan, including a communication strategy and available staff, for the timely deployment and installation of mail theft initiatives nationwide
New target implementation date: March 31, 2026
- Require the New York 2 district manager to establish procedures to complete annual safety inspections, remediate deficiencies and document the results for blue collection and green relay boxes
New target implementation date: February 28, 2026
- Develop a process to define roles, responsibilities and frequency for inspecting green relay boxes, and to record and track the location and condition of green relay boxes
Those who believe their mail has been stolen can report mail theft at USPIS.gov/Report.
