NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The response to our exclusive report on mail thrown in a dumpster behind the New Rochelle Post Office has generated a firestorm.
In publishing the original story, we contacted the United States Postal Inspection Service, a federal law enforcement agency to make them aware of the improperly discarded mail. The matter was referred to the Office of Inspector General of the United States Postal Inspection Service which immediately began an investigation.
WCBS-TV advanced the ball the next day with an excellent piece of reporting by Jessica Borg who got a quote from the New Rochelle Postmaster claiming that the mail in the dumpster was “undeliverable”. Borg then tracked down two of the intended recipients of the “undeliverable” mail who confirmed the mail was indeed “deliverable”.
WCBS-TV: Mail Found Thrown Away In Dumpster In New Rochelle
Unlike Borg, who credited Talk of the Sound in her story (and interviewed Talk of the Sound publisher Robert Cox), News12 ran a a story without crediting Talk of the Sound.
NEWS12: Hundreds of pieces of mail discovered in New Rochelle dumpster
The News12 report consisted mainly of “man on the street” interviews of postal customers with horror stories about mail delivery in New Rochelle.
Congressman Eliot Engel got involved and has now issued a formal statement calling for an investigation into mail issues in New Rochelle.
In an email to constituents, Engel wrote:
Recently, my office has received a high volume of calls and correspondences regarding issues with the postal service in New Rochelle. We have even seen reports about possible mail being discarded in the dumpster behind the New Rochelle Post Office. I take these reports very seriously.
Upon being alerted of this issue, my office immediately reached out to USPS officials in both New York and Washington. Postal officials responded promptly to our inquiry and have opened an investigation into the alleged incident at the New Rochelle Post Office. We will remain in contact with our liaisons at the Post Office throughout the process to ensure the necessary steps are taken to rectify any problems.
My office has never hesitated to contact the Post Office on behalf of a constituent who has dealt with postal related issues. If you are having any issue with your mail service, please contact my Westchester district office at 914-699-4100 to let me know.
Of course, the federal investigation was already underway by the time Engel reached out to United States Postal Service officials but it is always good to have Congress involved.
Since running the story we have been inundated with complaints from residence who say they have reported their concerns directly to the New Rochelle postmaster in the past and we met with indifference and, in some cases, what they believed was retaliation.
Edward S. Di Pasquale was named Officer-In-Charge in 2009. Steven Guiliano was named Officer-In-Charge in 2011. Edward S. Di Pasquale was named Postmaster in 2012. Kim Y. Myers was named Officer-In-Charge in 2013 and then Postmaster a month later. Edward S. DiPasquale was again named Postmaster in 2016. Much of the ire among the public has singled out one former employee, Nick Longo, a Customer Services Manager
In 2012, Talk of the Reported on a mail carrier driving his delivery van into the back of a parked car then leaving the scene and not reporting the collision to the postmaster.
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A reader recently sent a 2014 video of a mail carrier throwing a package onto his front porch.
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TALK OF THE SOUND: U.S. Postal Service Van Hit and Run Sends Car Rolling 30 Feet in New Rochelle
If you would like to report issues or misconduct involving the New Rochelle Post Office contact the United States Postal Inspection Service Office of Inspector General. Call the USPIS OIG Headquarters in Virginia at 703-248-2100 and ask for Special Agent Stafford.
If you have your own New Rochelle Post Office horror stories post a comment below or send an email to robertcox@talkofthesound.com. Photos and videos are of particular interest!