Postal service officials aren't aware of any other communities in the nation that have police escorts for their letter carriers.

But in one part of Atlantic City that's been plagued by violence, the mail these days comes with a cop.

When Steven the letter carrier arrived at Stanley Holmes Village on Monday afternoon, an Atlantic City police officer was waiting for him.

It's his first day delivering the mail to the public housing complex, but he heard all about the route from his colleagues.

Fears from a wave of recent violence and police investigations that prevented mail from being delivered prompted the postal service to suspend service to the complex last week.

"I don't blame them. It's not the post office's fault. I wouldn't come up in here either," says Wilma Brown, a housing complex resident.

Residents were forced to pick up their mail at the post office. So, city leaders have now agreed to provide a police escort for letter carriers who have the complex on their route.

"We view this as a quality of life issue and we're here to ensure that the quality of life for the people who live here is upheld. We're not giving back ground here," says Chief John Mooney, Atlantic City Police.

Authorities say the police escorts will continue until a permanent solution is worked out.

The postal service plans to install metal mail kiosks at the complex next month to replace door-to-door deliveries. Police, though, fear the boxes could be used to stash drugs. Residents have their concerns as well.

The police escorts began on Friday but residents of the complex did not get their mail on Saturday.

Postal Service officials say it wasn't delivered because they couldn't anyone from the police department on the phone to arrange the escort.