2002 Annual Report of Investigations of the United States Postal Inspection Service
Our Mission: Safety, Security, Integrity

A Message from the Chief Postal Inspector
December 2002

I am pleased to present this 2002 Annual Report of Investigations of the United States Postal Inspection Service. This report is especially meaningful to me as it is my first Annual Report to the United States Postal Service, its Board of Governors, members of Congress, and the American public since my appointment as the new Chief Postal Inspector in July of this year.

"All Americans have the right to mail and receive letters and parcels with every expectation that no one will tamper with or steal their mail. All users of the mail have the right to be protected from mail fraud and other mail-related criminal activities. And all postal employees and customers have the right to work or conduct business in a safe and secure environment."

I have taken these words from a new booklet we issued this year: Because the Mail Matters. And the mail does matter--now more than ever, the mail and the security of the mail are critical to the citizens of this country. As traditional mail security concerns expand to meet the challenges of new technology and a new century, I believe that my experience and leadership will help us preserve the nation's trust in the U.S. Mail.

Although protecting the mail, postal employees, and customers took on added significance this year, security efforts were only part of our mission. Criminal investigations continued during FY 2002, as Postal Inspectors arrested 10,828 criminal suspects, with 54 percent of the arrests for mail theft. Inspectors also investigated 3,355 mail fraud cases and responded to approximately 84,000 consumer fraud complaints. Mail fraud investigations resulted in 1,634 arrests, approximately $2 billion in court-ordered and voluntary restitution, and 780 civil or administrative actions. In addition to numerous cases involving bombs, threats, and injurious items in the mail, Inspectors arrested 249 suspects for child sexual exploitation offenses related to the mail and 1,385 suspects for drug trafficking and money laundering via the mail.

Safeguarding the U.S. Postal Service's revenue and assets is integral to the mission of the Postal Inspection Service. Through our investigations of workers' compensation fraud this fiscal year, Postal Inspectors reported $108.4 million in long-term and continuation-of-pay cost-avoidance savings for the Postal Service.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is proud of its accomplishments. We look forward to future opportunities to continue building on our strengths--preserving the safety, security, and integrity of the U.S. Postal Service, postal employees, and postal assets--and ensuring America's confidence in the U.S. Mail.

Lee R. Heath