Ellington

A postal worker is in trouble for more than just speeding. During the traffic stop, the police found cocaine and stolen mail in his truck, including credit cards.

Salvador Gonzalez, 33, of Dallas, faces charges of possession of a controlled substance. Authorities said he may face federal charges for the unopened mail pending an investigation by the Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

A deputy constable stopped Gonzalez on Wednesday morning in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood and saw the items stuffed in duffel bags and scattered inside the vehicle.

"He had tons of mail, like old Christmas cards, all kinds of mail he had opened up," said Dallas police Chief Deputy John L. Garrett with the Precinct 1 constable's office. "He had eight or nine credit cards in his possession with different names on them. We assume he had taken them out of the mail."

It's a shame. I've been concerned about having certain things mailed to me because I thought of the possibility that someone would go into the mailbox and steal something important. (I know a couple of people who have been through that.) It's even more disheartening when a federal employee you depend on steals from you. Even getting a P.O. box wouldn't stop a guy like that.

What do you think the USPS could do to ensure that our mail is safe? Surveillance cameras in the mail truck? Getting the fingerprints and DNA samples of all postal workers? Putting microchips in letters and packages and tracking them all by satellite? Well, maybe not that much. Stamps would probably go up to $200 each to cover the costs for that. They cost enough already.

I think that companies who mail credit cards and other confidential items need to consider options such as delivery confirmation. They already try to disguise who they are on the envelope, but I think thieves have caught on to that.

What else can be done? Any ideas?