High Crime, No Mail Delivery

The letter carriers of the U.S. Postal Service can deal with Milwaukee's rotten snow removal.

Ice and snow has to make their jobs more difficult, but it doesn't stop them.

When it comes to crime in the city, however, the USPS draws the line.

From 620 WTMJ:

The Postal Service confirms it has sent postcards to addresses in high crime areas. The postcards say:

"Happy Holidays! The United States Postal Service needs your help. Crime makes it difficult for your letter carrier to safely deliver mail to your address. Please report any criminal activity in your neighborhood including property damage or suspicious activity to your local police or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. Your help will prevent your mail from being stolen and prevent your letter carrier from being harmed.

If crime goes unchecked, we may have to stop delivering mail to your address until the immediate danger is resolved. If this happens, you can pick up your mail at your local post office until it is safe to resume delivery.

If you have reason to believe this is the case, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Thank you for your help and understanding."

I see no problem with that at all. It's completely reasonable.

It certainly would be a terrible inconvenience for the elderly and the homebound to not receive mail delivery.

But unless letter carriers outfitted with body armor and carrying weapons are willing to sacrifice themselves, they can't be expected to go into dangerous areas.

The problem isn't with the postal service. The problem is the crime that prevents the postal service from delivering mail.

..."If a postal employee is directly threatened or has been harmed, I certainly think it is a good idea to let the residents know in that neighborhood," Milwaukee Police Captain James Harpole said Friday.

Meanwhile, Alderman Bob Donovan said it is entirely justifiable for the Postal Service to curtail delivery service in some areas that may pose a direct threat.

"It'd be one hell of a wakeup call for residents in that neighborhood to receive a postcard like that," Ald. Donovan stated.

It would be very troubling to find a postcard like that in your mailbox.

But it probably would be a confirmation of what you already know, that your neighborhood is not safe.

No areas of the city should be so overrun with crime that letter carriers are at risk just doing their jobs. It's pathetic.

I wonder how long it will take before mail delivery in the city of Milwaukee is discontinued altogether due to safety concerns.

This would be a good goal for Milwaukee's new police chief, Ed Flynn: Restore a level of safety to the city that would allow the postal service to deliver mail. I don't think that's too much to expect.