Local
USPS review flags delivery, tracking and security failures at Nashville station
A federal inspector general audit found 5,158 delayed mailpieces at Church Street Station and problems with package scans, postal keys and oversight. The Postal Service agreed with the audit’s five findings and said it had begun corrective steps.
A federal audit found thousands of delayed letters and other mail, along with package-scanning and security problems, at Nashville’s Church Street Station, a postal facility serving about 22,000 people across several ZIP codes.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General inspected the station in July. Auditors counted 5,158 pieces of delayed mail on the morning of July 14: 2,847 letters and 2,311 flats. The mail had not been properly reported as delayed, the audit found.
The review also identified 176 improper package scans between March and May. About 73% of those packages were marked delivered. In a separate sample of 30 packages examined during the July inspection, 21 had scanning or handling problems; 13 were marked delivered before carriers had arrived for the day.
Auditors found that records for postal arrow keys—which carriers use to access mail receptacles—were inaccurate, some keys were not properly secured and one key listed as in use could not be found. The review also flagged an inactive employee who remained on the station’s rolls and two unauthorized premium-fuel purchases totaling $133.53.
Some customers said they had generally been satisfied with service. Longtime customer Richard L. Grady said the audit findings surprised him. Brian Hubert, a longtime post office box user, said he had occasionally received mail in someone else’s box that later went missing, but described his overall experience as effective.
The Postal Service agreed with all five audit findings and said management had started corrective measures, including additional training, compliance reviews and stronger oversight of key inventories and fuel purchases.