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USPS offering a $150,000 award after postal carrier robbed in Harvey

The postmaster is looking for two individuals who they said committed an armed robbery of a postal carrier this month.

By Amethyst J. Davis

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October 28, 2023

The United States Postal Inspection Service is offering a $150,000 award for information that leads to the arrest of two people who they say robbed a postal carrier in Harvey earlier this week.

The armed robbery occurred Monday, October 23 in the area near 148th Street & Lexington Avenue just before 5pm.

One suspect is described as a Black man, 30 to 35 years old, last seen wearing brown hooded sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. They fled the seen in a silver Chevrolet Impala.

The other suspect is described as a woman seen fleeing in a dark blue Hyundai Elantra with severe damage to its rear-end. In a picture released by postal police, a child is seen in the rear seat of that vehicle.

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This comes as mail carrier thefts are on the rise, and staffing shortages issues are agitating the postmaster’s plans to address it, according to a federal report.

The Postal Service’s Inspector General released a report late last month that found the postmaster lacks direction and definitive timelines to implement mail theft preventative measures, including oversight of universal mail keys, also known as “arrow keys,” often stolen to commit mail theft.

In Harvey, no arrests have been made. Police are advising that if you see the people in question, not to engage them.

Call police at 1 (877) 876-2455.

Author

Amethyst J. Davis

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication. Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She was previously a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Amethyst is a 2023 Leader of a New Chicago award recipient, as recognized by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 and 2024 Nieman Lab prediction. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation’s most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University’s Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

A Harvey native, Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School (’11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA’19). She is an alumna of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.