Effective November 12, 2015, the Postal Service™ is revising the Administrative Support Manual (ASM). These changes are intended to set out the processes and procedures for the determination of when mail matter coming into the possession and/or control of the Inspection Service may be deemed abandoned or unclaimed, and therefore “dead.”
Administrative Support Manual (ASM)
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2 Audits and Investigations
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27 Security
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274 Mail Security
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274.2 Opening, Searching, and Reading Mail Generally Prohibited
274.21 Mail Sealed Against Inspection
[Revise item f of 274.21 to read as follows:]
f. A postal inspector acting under 274.911d, or to examine the contents of abandoned or unclaimed mail reasonably suspected of containing narcotics or other non-mailable matter as proscribed by POM 691.584.
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274.31 Sealed Mail Generally Not Detained
[Revise item d of 274.31 to read as follows:]
d. A postal inspector, OIG personnel, or postal employee upon reasonable suspicion and in strict compliance with postal regulations to determine the mailability of contents proscribed by Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, or the proper payment of postage.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the Administrative Support Manual, which is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n In the left-hand column under “Essential Links”, click PolicyNet.
n Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Chief Postal Inspector,
U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 11-12-15
