MAIL AND PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES POTENTIAL …

1 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY mail AND PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES POTENTIAL INDICATORS OF TERRORIST ACTIVITY, COMMON VULNERABILITIES, AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES Protective Security Coordination Division Office of Infrastructure Protection Department of Homeland Security Version: October 5, 2007 Content: June 2007 WARNING This document is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO). It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 552). It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know without prior approval of an authorized DHS official.

2 At a minimum when unattended, this document is to be stored in a locked container such as a file cabinet, desk drawer, overhead compartment, credenza, or locked area offering sufficient protection against theft, compromise, inadvertent access, and unauthorized disclosure. For more information about this document, contact: Protective Security Advisor Duty Desk (703-235-5724 or FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Version: October 5, 2007 2 Content: June 2007 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY POTENTIAL INDICATORS OF TERRORIST ACTIVITY, COMMON VULNERABILITIES, AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES Figure 1 packages on Conveyer at postal Facility mail and PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES (Figure 1), which are part of the postal and Shipping sector, have the following characteristics: (1) end-to-end integrated acceptance, processing, transportation, and delivery of letters and parcels (weighing less than 150 lb).)

3 (2) multi-modal transportation, including aviation, highway, and rail; (3) residential and business collections and delivery; (4) retail storefronts; (5) large, centralized, high-volume automated or semi-automated processing FACILITIES ; (6) daily volume of more than 800 million pieces; (7) employees in excess of million; and (8) customer base in the hundreds of millions (Collins 2007). This report presents the following information related to mail and PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES : POTENTIAL Indicators of Terrorist/Threat Activity Common Vulnerabilities Standards and Regulations Protective Measures Reference Material and Other Useful Information This report is one of a series of documents that address how our nation can better protect its critical infrastructures and key resources.

4 See contact on cover page for additional information. mail and PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Version: October 5, 2007 3 Content: June 2007 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CHARACTERISTICS OF mail AND PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES The following sections provide a summary description of mail and PACKAGE HANDLING FACILITIES and their configurations and vulnerabilities that could be exploited by terrorists and other adversaries. Characterization of the Industry The postal and Shipping sector receives, processes, transports, and distributes billions of letters and parcels annually. It consists of both private and public components, but primarily comprises the following four large integrated carriers, which operate 93% of the sector s assets, systems, networks, and functions: the United States postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

5 (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), and DHL International. The remainder of the sector consists of smaller firms providing regional and local courier services, other mail services, mail management for corporations, and chartered air delivery services. Although most of the sector is privately owned, there is a major government presence through the USPS. Each of the four primary carriers is described in the paragraphs that follow. USPS The USPS is an independent, self-supporting agency within the Executive Branch of the government. The USPS uses revenue from the sale of postage and postage-related products to pay expenses. Public subsidy to support the USPS was eliminated in 1982.

6 According to information on the USPS Web site, total USPS annual operating revenue in 2005 was nearly $70 billion. The USPS delivers 212 billion pieces of mail to more than 144 million homes, businesses, and post office boxes in virtually every state, territory, city, and town in the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The USPS transports the mail using a wide range of transportation modes: planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, bicycles, and even mules. The USPS serves over million customers daily at 40,000 post offices. In addition, in 2005, USPS accepted million passport applications 65% of the total processed by the Department of State.

7 USPS assets are distributed worldwide, but the bulk of these assets are located in and around postal FACILITIES throughout the United States. Of these assets, the most visible are those through which the public acquires products and services. Figure 2 provides an overview of the most apparent postal assets from the perspective of the USPS customer. About 350,000 USPS collection boxes are used to introduce mail into the USPS mail flow. The USPS has limited means to protect the mail deposited in the collection boxes, which generally are not guarded and not under surveillance. USPS assets not shown in Figure 2 are the millions of bags, boxes, trays, hampers, rolling stock, and various over-the-road and aircraft containers that are in constant service throughout postal operations.

8 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Version: October 5, 2007 4 Content: June 2007 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Post Offices(40,000)Processing andDi st r i but i on Cent er s(237)Ai r Mai lCent ers(58)Bulk MailCent er s(21)Headquarters (1)Area Offices (8)Information SystemService Centers (5)Field ComputingService Centers (2)Nat i onal Net workService Center (1)District Offices (85)Vehicles(160,000)Employees(800,000)C ollectionBoxes(350,000) Figure 2 USPS Customer Service and Administrative Assets The USPS provides an array of services for a wide variety of mail items. Standard mail types are letters, flats, and parcels. These items may be introduced into the mail stream in many ways. USPS procedures and processes provide some linking mechanisms for certain types of mail to their points of origin and receipt.

9 These mail types include registered, express, certified, insured, postage due, and COD (cash on delivery) mail and any item going through Customs. Of greater concern with regard to terrorist threats is the mail that is anonymously introduced into the mail stream. Anonymous mail may be collected from mailboxes and collection boxes, as well from thousands of drop points at customer sites, mail FACILITIES , and other locations across the country. Approximately 90% of the 700,000 USPS career employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The USPS labor force is primarily represented by the American postal Workers Union (APWU), National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), National postal mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), and National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA).

10 The APWU is the largest postal union, representing about 272,000 USPS career employees and 5,000 transitional employees primarily in the clerk, maintenance, and motor vehicle services crafts. The APWU also represents nearly 2,000 private-sector mail workers. The NALC, which is the second largest postal union, represents more than 224,000 career employees. NALC members deliver mail to residences and businesses along city delivery routes. NRLCA career and part-time relief workers deliver mail to residences and businesses along rural delivery routes. The NPMHU, a division of the Laborers International Union of North America, represents more than 55,000 career employees engaged in the bulk transfer, loading, and unloading of mail .