The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General filed its report Sept. 17 after customer complaints. Auditors found mail in sorting cases and on the workroom floor. Station managers had not reported the backlog, and some carriers had not completed required forms for undelivered mail.

Auditors examined 30 packages still at the station and found scanning or handling problems with 21. Thirteen of those packages had already been marked as delivered. Other packages had delivery-attempt scans recorded far from their intended destinations.

Nashville customer Michael Ratz said he had found mail addressed to someone else in his mailbox and received other mail months late. The findings concern residents who rely on accurate tracking and timely delivery, particularly as holiday shipping picks up.

The audit also identified security and staffing issues. One arrow key—which can open collection boxes and some apartment mailbox panels—was missing, while 19 other keys were absent from the station’s electronic inventory. Auditors found keys left unsecured and warned that weak controls could increase the risk of mail theft.

One carrier assistant remained on the station’s employee rolls despite not reporting to work for at least 11 consecutive weeks. Auditors said keeping inactive employees listed can prevent the hiring of replacements.

The report cited shortcomings in oversight, training and communication. Tennessee District Manager Omar Coleman said in a letter included with the report that management had begun corrective steps. Plans included staff talks on delayed-mail handling and package scans, reviews of maintenance, updating arrow-key records with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and training on key security. Coleman also said the inactive employee had been removed from the rolls.

As of Oct. 19, the Postal Service had not responded to a follow-up inquiry about whether those corrective steps had been completed.