United States Postal Inspection Service different from United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General
Jurisdiction and Activities
As fact-finding and investigative agents, Postal Inspectors are sworn federal law enforcement officers who carry firearms, make arrests, and serve federal search warrants and subpoenas. Inspectors work closely with U.S. attorneys, other law enforcement agencies, and local prosecutors to investigate postal cases and prepare them for court. For example, on cases involving international mail, Postal Inspectors work closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); while on domestic mail cases, Inspectors work closely with state and local law enforcement agencies.
The USPIS has responsibility to safeguard over 600,000 Postal Service employees and billions of pieces of mail transported globally each year by air, land, rail, and sea.
Prior to 1996, USPIS was the only investigative agency of the Postal Service, but that changed with the creation of the USPS Office of Inspector General in 1996. The USPS OIG conducts independent audits and investigations of USPS programs and operations to determine whether they are efficient and cost-effective. Before 1996, this auditing function was carried out by Postal Inspectors. These investigations help detect fraud, waste, and misconduct within USPS, and they have a deterrent effect on postal crimes.