Physical security has increased at certain large postal
facilities that perform automated mail-sorting functions,
but some problems remain, the Government Accountability
Office has said.
It said USPS has created an emergency preparedness group
to ensure security standards are followed and that its
inspection service is working with local and headquarters
management to improve facility security and has filed most
of its 47 new physical security specialist positions.
Additionally, the postal service is updating its facility
security database, something GAO says has the potential to
identify and track specific facility security issues
nationwide though it currently “has problems such as missing
and incomplete data, duplicate responses, and miscoded
facilities,” according to its report, GAO-05-48.
However, GAO’s analysis of inspection service reports, as
well as site visits to 13 of these “core” facilities
revealed security problems, “such as facility and vehicle
keys unaccounted for, doors and gates left unlocked or
alarms deactivated, mail and stamp inventory left unsecured,
and employees not wearing identification badges as required.”
The postal service uses memos to increase management’s
awareness of security issues and to reinforce physical
security requirements. And although it has established
requirements for issues such as personnel access and exterior
lighting and has laid them out in a handbook and made them
mandatory for new facilities, GAO reported that “incomplete
and inaccurate USPS data” prevented it from assessing
changes in the implementation of security measures at all
these facilities.
