Face a threat far more dangerous than the weather. That puts their lives and your mail at risk. Since last year, the 13 investigates team has been exposing skyrocketing mail theft and a severe lack of resources. The Postal Service has yet to fight. >> Yes, and our Kevin Ozebek is live in studio with us tonight with what he has uncovered. Kevin. >> Well, Eric and Charlie, as the branches of the US Postal Service continue to deny a request for an interview, we've put in dozens and I do mean dozens of federal records requests. It's how we learn that last year alone, more than 600 mail carriers were robbed. All across the country. I mean, just incredible video here. Now it is the key that they carry that makes them a target. And that puts the security of your mail in jeopardy. Mail carriers shoved down to the ground, brutally pushed and punched and even threatened with assault rifles. Watch as this carrier right here in Houston is viciously attacked. Delivering mail in America is now a dangerous job, according to veteran carrier Ulysses Wells. Did you even know you were being watched? >> No, no, because my focus is again on getting the mail together, trying to get off work, trying to hurry, you know, things of that nature. >> One evening last summer, while he was putting mail in a box, Ulysses says a masked man approached him. >> He's like, give me the key to accomplices. >> Then appeared what was rushing through your head? >> I want to make it home. I want to live. I don't want to be shot. I don't want you stabbed. >> For his safety, Ulysses handed the robbers what's called an arrow key. It's a key prized by thieves because they open all the cluster mail boxes on a carrier's route and stolen USPS keys. >> This is a universal go to anything and everything are often then sold on the dark web. >> Do you have members who are now scared to actually deliver the mail? >> Sure. And we have some members that haven't come back after they've been robbed. >> Shawn Boyd is with the Texas office of the National Association of Letter Carriers. We've had somebody with an AK 47 pointed at the carrier. It's a terrifying detail and data obtained by 13 investigates shows last year alone in our state, 87 mail carriers were robbed or salted. >> We have to take away what what these criminals are looking for. >> The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which is tasked with protecting our mail carriers, turned down our interview request, but the agency sent us this USPS press release touting arrests for attacks on mail carriers are up 73, and that 28,000 electronic locking mechanisms, or digital arrow keys, have replaced physical arrow keys. So how many of these new digital arrow keys are here in Texas, making our carrier safer? The inspection service rejected our federal records request on that, citing that information creates a security risk in Texas. How many of these digital keys are in place? As far as you know, I'm not aware of any. None? None. How do you feel USPS is treating you guys in this particular climate where you guys are now targets because of these arrow keys? >> I couldn't even think of an answer to give you on that one. >> Why is that? >> I just couldn't think of a good, positive answer to give you on that one. >> And no doubt about it, the majority of USPS employees are very hardworking and we can see now just how dangerous it is to deliver our mail. But but 13 investigates has also exposed how there are Postal Service employees stealing mail. Tomorrow at six, we uncover allegations Charlie and Eric at mail being stolen inside one of the largest USPS
