“Defacing Postal Property is Illegal” - USPS Mailbox Tagged With Required RI COVID Testing Stickers
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Employees -- or visitors -- to a Rhode Island state building have reportedly been defacing a United States Postal Service (USPS) mailbox -- due to COVID.
State employees and visitors receive stickers to show they have received their required COVID testing -- and dozens were plastered on the USPS mailbox outside the Department of Administration.
United States law states that "whoever willfully or maliciously injures, tears down, or destroys any letter box or other receptacle intended or used for the delivery of mail on any mail route…shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe U.S. Postal Inspection Service also states that those who are convicted of destruction of federal property could spend up to three years in jail and be fined up to $250,000.
On Wednesday, USPS confirmed with GoLocal that the actions taken outside the state building in Rhode Island are in fact illegal.
USPS on Record
"We often have instances of mail collection boxes being tagged with graffiti or used as a billboard with someone taping or gluing a notice to it," said Stephen Doherty in Corporate Communications for the Massachusetts-Rhode Island District.
"While this doesn’t rise to the level of interfering with the collection or delivery of mail, defacing postal property is illegal, but seldom prosecuted," he added.
"In some areas, security camera footage may help us identify the culprit and we may seek reimbursement for the cost of refurbishing the box," said Doherty. "But, more often than not, once it’s noticed a work order will go in for our field maintenance crew to repaint, relabel or replace it."
Rhode Island Department of Administration Responds
Rhode Island Department of Administration spokesperson Robert Dulski said that the state urged people to discard the testing stickers properly.
"When visitors enter the Powers building, they are required to check in at the main desk and go through screening protocols for COVID," he said.
"Upon passing the screening, colored stickers are given to visitors to show that they have passed the screening test. There are different colored stickers for each day of the work week," he continued. "Staff is also required to go through these screening protocols and obtain stickers from designated agency/division employees."
"We encourage everyone that comes through the Powers building to put no longer used materials in the trash or recycle bins," he added.
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