The United States Postal Service is launching a new initiative to ensure the safety of letter carriers and others, specifically from being injured or attacked by a dog.
Kentuckiana District Safety Manager Alan Lewis presented information about the PAWS initiative to Hopkinsville City Council Tuesday night. He said the initiative was created to add an additional level of safety awareness for postal employees to prevent an incident like what occurred in March 2019 when Letter Carrier Jill Cooper was attacked by a dog on Jessup Avenue.
Cooper said she is healing physically but mentally she is recovering slowly.
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Cooper added she had anger and disappointment when she was told by the Christian County District Attorney’s Office that the case of harboring a vicious animal against the dog’s owner was dropped due to the fact Cooper was on the front lawn and not in the street when she was attacked.
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Lewis reported there were 6,755 USPS employees in fiscal year 2019 that were attacked and bitten across the country, with 80 of those dog bites taking place in the Kentuckiana district.
According to Lewis, there are two things involved in the PAWS initiative — a postcard and a sticker. He said the postcard will be sent to city residents and the stickers will be placed on mailboxes.
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He said they are pushing the PAWS initiative in five locations in Kentucky and their goal is to start it in Hopkinsville next week. Lewis added this process will be ongoing.
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