Lawyers’ Group Seeks Overhaul of a Postal Service Surveillance Program

A Postal Service surveillance program that records the information on the outside of letters and packages delivered to people suspected of criminal activity should be overhauled because of a lack of oversight, according to a report by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The report suggests that Congress pass legislation to ban any evidence obtained through the misuse of mail covers. It also urges outside reviews of requests for mail covers. High standards of evidence by law enforcement agencies to justify mail covers, which are almost always approved, are also suggested in the report. It also calls on the service to explain why it keeps data from mail covers for eight years, while the National Security Agency keeps the data it collects for five years. The report recommends that the service reduce the amount of time it keeps the information.