City Revives "Carrier Alert" Program for Seniors

The city is reviving a program to check in on seniors and others who live alone and may be hurt.

REPORTEr: The Carrier Alert program uses letter carriers to determine if a person's mail has piled up for too many days. If so, the carrier informs 311, which informs the Department of Aging. Larry Cirelli of the National Association of Letter Carriers spoke of one elderly woman who was rescued through the program.

CIRELLI: The carrier noticed a mail buildup on a Friday and a Saturday. And the carrier knew her pattern - that she never left mail in the mailbox. Particularly over a weekend. So by Monday morning, the carrier knew something was wrong, contacted the police, and we saved that lady.

REPORTER: People who sign up for the program receive a Carrier Alert magnet that they place inside their mailboxes.