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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Robberies of postal carriers totaled 496 in 2022, quadrupling over a decade, the Associated Press reported on May 8, 2023.

Weapons were used in most of the robberies, according to AP News.

The 2022 robbery victims included Milwaukee letter carrier Aundre Cross, who was shot to death Dec. 9, 2022 in what federal investigators describe as a targeted attack. Two men are charged in his murder. Two women also were charged with crimes in connection with the case.

Many of the crimes are becoming more sophisticated and organized, some targeting the special keys that carriers use to access collection boxes and to deliver mail in apartment buildings, AP reported.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, who represents Milwaukee, asked the postmaster general to create a task force to combat the robberies.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

AP News ‘Outraged’ letter carriers demand action to stop robberies

TMJ4 News 4th person charged in connection to death of USPS mail carrier, Aundre Cross

Rep. Gwen Moore (Twitter) Postal workers play an essential role in our communities.

Rep. Gwen Moore (YouTube) Congresswoman Gwen Moore Writes Letter to Postmaster General on Security of USPS Carriers

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Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time Milwaukee-based reporter in October 2024 after starting as a freelance Fact Briefs reporter in January 2023. In addition to contributing to Wisconsin Watch’s collaboration with The Gigafact Project to combat online misinformation, he reports on Wisconsin policy, labor, energy and the rapid expansion of data centers across the state. Kertscher is a former longtime reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and the author of two sports books, on Al McGuire and Brett Favre.