# Mail Cover **Entity class:** Investigative information-collection technique ## Definition A **mail cover** records information visible on the outside of mail—such as addressee, return address, postmark, and class of mail—without opening the item. Opening mail requires separate legal authority such as a warrant. USPS OIG reported that from FY2010 through FY2014 the Postal Inspection Service approved 118,577 mail covers requested by postal inspectors and 39,966 requested by outside law enforcement. Postal Service or Postal Inspection Service personnel may record the exterior information. These figures count approved covers, not workers or sources. ## Relationships - **administered by:** [[wiki/United States Postal Inspection Service|USPIS]]. - **infrastructure:** [[wiki/United States Postal Service|USPS]]. - **counting lesson:** investigative actions are not personnel counts. - **occupational interface:** [[wiki/Occupational Collection Surface|Occupational Collection Surface]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [USPS OIG — Mail Covers Program Phase II, September 28, 2016](https://www.uspsoig.gov/reports/audit-reports/us-postal-inspection-service-mail-covers-program-phase-ii)