The Silent Service is an inteview that I conducted with Keith Salter, a United States Postal Inspector to find information regarding his profession. Prior to meeting Mr. Salter, I had composed a series of questions that I deemed important pertaining to his job. However, during the course of the interview, I wanted to get a further understanding of his job, which required me to ask deeper questions for Mr. Salter.

            Keith Salter is a United States postal inspector. I was referred to Mr. Salter by my Uncle, who works in the post office, after I asked him if he knew any postal inspectors I could interview. Mr. Salter is forty-five years old, is 6 foot 2 inches tall, has short black hair, and wears glasses. He lives in Brandywine, PA with his wife Susanne, and son Eric who is eight years old.

According to United States Postal Inspection Service, postal inspectors are the nation’s oldest federal agency, and where created by Ben Franklin. These workers deal with crime that pertains to the United States mailing system. Although they are the nation’s oldest agency, the American public knows little about this group of people, and some aren’t aware they exist. Postal inspectors are often referred as the Silent Service. In the United States, there are approximately 2,200 postal inspectors stationed throughout the states, and enforce about 200 federal laws.

            On a cold Tuesday night, I drove to Mr. Salter’s home in Brandywine, PA. When I arrived, his family had the kitchen table set up, to have dinner with me. After a delicious dinner, we moved to his living room, and sat at a long wooden table. While drinking coffee, I noticed that the flames dancing in the fireplace, and the fire gave off a warm smell of burning wood.

Mr. Salter: (takes a sip of coffee) I am a United States Postal Inspector, and have been at my current position for seventeen years. Part of the reason, I have been at this position for so long, is that I love this job. I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else. A great aspect about this job is that I work with great people. My co-workers are always there to assist me if I need help. For us postal inspectors, no day is the same. One day I might be working on an investigation, while other days, I might be making an arrest. Earlier today, I was out in Harrisburg area, arresting someone who had been accused of sending child pornography, through the mail.

Mr. Salter: Most people in my position will get a degree in criminal justice, but I received a bachelor degree in Biology, from Widener University. Before becoming a postal inspector, I had been employed in the chemistry industry, sales work, and in the post office. The post office work helped me with getting this job, but the job that was most beneficial, was the sales work. A huge requirement of this job requires me to interact with other people. Sometimes, I might be asked to conduct an investigation on someone, who they feel has been doing something illegal. This involves me to not only ask questions, but to watch body language, and read between what they have to say.

Mr. Salter: My job as a postal inspector is to enforce laws, regarding the United States mailing system. Some crimes that I deal with are the theft of mail, by employees, or non-employees, fraud, and the mailing of prohibited items. These prohibited items include, but are not limited to, bombs, drugs, child pornography, guns, and anthrax. As you already know, we have about 200 crimes that we have to enforce, that protect the public.

Mr. Salter: (Laughing for a second) Being a postal inspector, there is no typical day. One day I might be working in the office, and the next day, I’m out in the field conducting an investigation, or making an arrest. My job has a mixture of surveillance, conducting interviews, and following up on leads we receive. The average work day for me is around ten hours. I get off for holidays, which is always a plus. The only downside is that once a month, I’m on call to work on a Saturday.

What is the work environment like?

Mr. Salter: Because my work days vary, sometimes I will be facing the elements of nature. There were times, when I worked outside, during the middle of the summer, when it was close to 100 degrees, and other times, I’ve worked in the pouring rain. The people that I deal with can be white collar criminals, or an average Joe. The accused man we arrested today was someone who is considered a white collar offender.

Mr. Salter: Being a postal inspector, you have to be flexible, and should be in good physical condition. This person must be willing to go the extra mile, and finish all of his work efficiently, and on time. Some qualities this person must have, is that they should have a good memory, be detailed oriented, and have good people skills. Because we often deal with people, we have to be able to talk to people, and interpret body language.

What is it that people don’t know, or understand about your job?

Mr. Salter: The biggest thing is that most people are unaware that people even have this job. Since it’s considered a secret organization, we often are called the Silent Service, and have avoided the public image. Because of this, you won’t see us on the news stations getting interviewed, after busting someone, for sending large amounts of cocaine through the mail. For those people that know this job exists, they often believe we are just cops. But we aren’t police, we are postal inspectors.

Mr. Salter: The hardest part was gaining the interviewing, and interrogation skills. There are times, when I have to conduct an interview, the person refuses to cooperate. Sometimes I don’t even get the full story from the people I interview. Therefore I’m forced to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Mr. Salter: My most memorable experience is that that no work day is the same as the previous day. Because no day is alike, I have yet to lose interest, even after seventeen years.

Mr. Salter: Man, 9/11 has changed a lot of things in my field of work. Since 9/11, people have been more into security, and have been taking notice to suspicious activity, concerning the mail. The overall tension in the job has definitely gone up, since we have to meet new standards. Although, we have to work harder, we definitely do a better job of protecting the American public.

            Finishing the interview, I thank Mr. Salter for giving me his time to conduct the interview, and for dinner. As I drove back to school, I reflected on the interview, and knew this job was an interesting job. These men and women don’t get the publicity, like other agencies do, yet they protect the American public daily. After 9/11 postal inspectors where forced to meet strict standards set by the government, and they have complied. They deal with people who are sending illegal goods through the United States mail. After years of working as a Postal Inspector, Mr. Salter still loves his job, because no day is the same for him. I thought it was ironic that this is considered a criminal justice type job, but Mr. Salter had received a degree in Biology.