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U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) demands an investigation into what she asserts is two years of extensive mail theft in her district, Texas' Seventh Congressional District.
Fletcher sent a letter to the Postmaster Inspector General in response to increasing complaints of missing mail in her district which includes West University Place, Bellaire and River Oaks in addition to a segment bounded by I-10 and Westheimer Road, Cypress and Jersey Village, according to ABC 13 News.
"Since 2019, my office has received more than 100 complaints of stolen and lost mail, mailbox break-ins and washed checks in post offices in our district," Fletcher said in a June 8 Twitter post. "I sent a letter calling on the Postmaster Inspector General to investigate."
Fletcher's correspondence requests investigations of three Houston post offices: USPS Ashford West at 12655 Whittington Dr., 77077; USPS Westbury at 11805 Chimney Rock Rd., 77035; and USPS Julius Melcher Station at 2802 Timmons Ln., 77027.
"Many of my constituents rely on the USPS for life-saving medications, stimulus checks, tax refunds and correspondence with loved ones in this challenging and isolating time," Fletcher wrote in her letter to Tammy Whitcomb, the Postmaster Inspector General.
An April audit determined that the North Houston Processing and Distribution Center recorded the highest overall delayed mail volume in the country in 2020, according to Fletcher's letter.
In addition to USPS's audit to determine the cause of continued mail processing delays, Fletcher is also calling for additional investigative measures to address the reports of service issues and theft.
"Houstonians cannot wait for meaningful changes at the North Houston P&DC nor should they have to continue without remedy as mail is stolen and accessible services are removed," Fletcher wrote in her letter.
Local residents who have experienced lost or stolen mail can contact the congresswoman's office here.