Thieves may have stolen Lexington’s USPS “arrow” master key in daylight robbery Monday

Lexington, Ky.–A thief may have stolen a US Postal Service “arrow” master key in a daylight robbery Monday afternoon in the Spring Meadows Drive area, off Harrodsburg Road.

The United States Postal Service meticulously accounts for its arrow keys, which unlock corresponding Master Access Locks attached to various types of apartment mailboxes, collection boxes, parcel lockers, and cluster box units, according to a source familiar with Postal Service procedures. Postal workers must check the keys out and return them daily. When checked out, the arrow key is attached to the postal worker’s uniform with a chain to make it harder to misplace. The keys correspond to a specific city, so a master key assigned to a Lexington mail carrier would unlock every USPS Master Access Lock in the city.

In July 2022, two men were caught on video using stolen USPS keys to steal mail in Louisville. WAVE3 investigated then and found the keys available online for $1,000 to $3,000 in Telegram chat rooms. Package thieves with stolen USPS master keys also reportedly target apartment buildings in Chicago. The thieves reportedly steal not only packages, but checks, credit and debit cards, and mail with personal identifying information, such as tax documents.

WKYT reported that the suspect in Lexington’s postal carrier robbery Monday “demanded a key.” The Lexington Police Department did not immediately respond to a Lexington Times email requesting comment for this story.

Photo: a USPS “arrow” master key. (Twitter)