What is the United States Postal Inspection Service?

The United States Postal Inspection Service (or “USPIS” for short) is the law enforcement branch of the US Postal Service. USPIS enforces over 200 federal statutes related to crimes that involve the postal system, its employees, and its customers.

What the United States Postal Inspection Service Does

The USPIS investigates and enforces crimes in areas such as mail and package theft, mail fraud, identity theft, money laundering, cybercrime, and much more. All in all, the organization dedicates itself to protecting USPS, its employees, and all of its customers (which basically includes every American citizen).

The following is a full list of categories that fall under USPIS’ jurisdiction:

• Mail and Package Theft
• Fraud Prevention and Education
• Mail Fraud
• Identity Theft
• Prohibited Mail
• Money Laundering
• Suspicious Mail
• Cybercrime
• Global Mail Security
• Child Exploitation
• Disaster Response

Need to Report a Crime to the USPIS?

Are you a victim of identity theft? Mail fraud? Maybe you’ve come across a piece of mail that looks kind of suspicious? However big or small, the United States Postal Inspection Service takes pride in investigating and responding to reports. If you have witnessed or fallen victim to a crime, it’s easy to file a report online. Start by visiting this page, and then fill out the correct form for the crime you intend to report.

Want to Be a United States Postal Inspector?

Judging by the looks of it, the US Postal Inspection Service seems to be hiring! They’ve also put substantial work into revamping their website, which shows that USPIS is hiring for the following positions:

• Postal Inspector – Federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction in all criminal, civil, and administrative matters involving USPS’ security
• Postal Police Officer – The uniformed division of USPIS that performs a variety of duties pertaining to the security of postal buildings, personnel, property, and mail (as well as mail-in-transit)
• Professional, Technical, and Administration Staff – Specialists and analysts who provide integral support to USPIS investigations and the agency’s overall mission

If you want to learn more about becoming a US Postal Inspector, you should check out USPIS’ Careers landing page.