Mail thefts force USPS to pause deliveries in some Seattle neighborhoods

SEATTLE - The United States Postal Service has temporarily halted delivery for some residents in south Seattle due to a rise in mail theft and incidents with letter carriers. 

Kim Frum, the senior public relations representative for USPS, told FOX 13 in an email: "some customers in ZIP Code 98118 have been directed to pick up their mail at the local postal annex."

According to City-Data.com, the population of the 98118 zip code area was about 49,700 in 2019. It primarily encompasses the Beacon Hill and Columbia City neighborhoods. 

It's unclear how many of those residents are impacted. 

According to the USPS, there has been an increase in high volume mail theft incidents from mail receptacles, including blue collection boxes. In their fiscal year for 2022, there were 38,500 reported incidents. In the first half of the fiscal year for 2023, there were more than 25,000 reported incidents. 

Because of the rise in thefts and attacks on mail carriers, the USPS and the Postal Inspection Service announced expanded actions to protect Postal employees and the security of the nation’s mail and packages.

The Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service held a joint briefing for Congress members and staff on these efforts on May 11, 2023.