What:

The Los Angeles District of the United States Postal Service will hold a press conference to announce the details of a dog bite prevention campaign to help draw attention to the safety of letter carriers.

Mail carriers in the Los Angeles area will wear uniquely designed t-shirts on Saturdays for three consecutive months beginning May 25. In addition, specially-designed postcards will be mailed to 150,000 households in Los Angeles that have a known dog in the home.  

Who:

Los Angeles Postmaster Joe Zapata

When:

8:30 a.m.
Friday, May 24, 2019

Where:

Greenmead Station (enter through Gate 3 and make a left at second stop sign)
Los Angeles Processing & Distribution Center
7001 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90052

Background:

Dog attacks stop mail deliver, and dog bites continue to be problematic in the Greater Los Angeles area, especially for postal carriers.

Although the number of U.S. Postal Service employees attacked by dogs nationwide has decreased over The number of U.S. Postal Service employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,714 in 2018 – more than 500 fewer than in 2017 and more than 1,000 fewer since 2016.  But, for local Postal Service officials and mail carriers, one bite is one too many and new tools continue to be unleashed to help reduce dog attacks in the area.

In Los Angeles, 60 carriers were attacked in 2018, ranking it the second highest city for dog bites in the nation.

“Although our employees are provided with extensive training in preventive measures against dog attacks, we are asking for dog owners to aid USPS in lowering the number of attacks,” said Los Angeles Postmaster Joe Zapata. “Homes with known dogs will receive a postcard that offers guidelines.”

Any media interested in shadowing a letter carrier on Friday, May 24th or Saturday, May 25th must email Evelina Ramirez at evelina.b.ramirez@usps.gov or call 510-671-4934 no later than 8:00 a.m. Thursday, May 23 to make arrangements.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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