The number of attacks on Postal employees by dogs is on the decline according to annual data released by the Postal Service.
In 2018, there were 5,714 dog attacks, 530 less than in 2017, a 9.3% drop. Last year’s figure is also over 1,000 less than in 2016 when there were 6,755 attacks reported. 2016 did represent an increase over 2015, however. In 2015, there were 6,549 attacks by dogs.
The Postal Service is pleased with the trend over the last two years and says that technology is part of the reason for the improvement.
Mobile Delivery Devices, or scanners, used by carriers to confirm customer delivery, include a feature to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address. And the Package Pickup application asks customers to indicate if dogs are at their address when they schedule package pickups, which allows USPS to send alerts to those carriers.
What are the Worst Cities for Dog Bites?
Office City | Office State | CY 2018 | CY 2017 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | HOUSTON | TX | 75 | 71 |
2 | LOS ANGELES | CA | 60 | 67 |
3 | PHILADELPHIA | PA | 51 | 27 |
4 | CLEVELAND | OH | 50 | 49 |
5 | DALLAS | TX | 49 | 40 |
6 | SAN ANTONIO | TX | 47 | 44 |
7 | MINNEAPOLIS | MN | 38 | 27 |
8 | CHICAGO | IL | 37 | 38 |
8 | COLUMBUS | OH | 37 | 43 |
10 | FORT WORTH | TX | 35 | 26 |
11 | DETROIT | MI | 34 | 32 |
12 | SAN DIEGO | CA | 33 | 46 |
13 | CHARLOTTE | NC | 32 | 27 |
13 | MEMPHIS | TN | 32 | 20 |
15 | BALTIMORE | MD | 31 | 44 |
15 | DENVER | CO | 31 | 35 |
15 | KANSAS CITY | MO | 31 | 32 |
18 | ST. LOUIS | MO | 30 | 52 |
19 | ALBUQUERQUE | NM | 29 | 22 |
19 | SACRAMENTO | CA | 29 | 24 |
21 | OAKLAND | CA | 28 | 28 |
22 | SEATTLE | WA | 27 | 28 |
23 | CINCINNATI | OH | 24 | 25 |
23 | MIAMI | FL | 24 | 25 |
23 | PHOENIX | AZ | 24 | 24 |
26 | LOUISVILLE | KY | 23 | 39 |
27 | BROOKLYN | NY | 22 | 21 |
27 | LAS VEGAS | NV | 22 | 19 |
27 | PORTLAND | OR | 22 | 24 |
The top states are as follows:
State | 2017 | 2018 |
---|---|---|
CA | 918 | 794 |
TX | 426 | 462 |
NY | 339 | 339 |
OH | 345 | 304 |
IL | 297 | 273 |
PA | 277 | 252 |
MI | 258 | 224 |
FL | 211 | 198 |
NC | 190 | 169 |
The Postal Service also has a map of the United States with more detailed data on dog attacks.