Detroit — Mail carrier Matt McBee was standing at the mailboxes of a Southfield apartment complex in July when he felt a pistol pressed against his head. Two teens in masks and hoodies stole letters and a postal box key.

McBee, 42, took a month off work but the incident continues to haunt him, sparking flashbacks about the frightening incident.

“I have to live with that. It’s very hard,” he said. “It’s the day I almost didn’t come home.”

Letter carriers are having too many days like that recently, in Detroit and around the United States, carrier union officials said at a rally in downtown Detroit on Monday. Robberies and assaults are increasing in number and severity, they said.

About 100 people attended the rally in front of the Detroit Post Office, where speakers called for the public, prosecutors and elected officials to take steps to address the growing problem.

“We cannot let this be,” said Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “It’s appalling, unacceptable and out of control.”

Renfroe said his office receives a report of crimes against mail carriers nearly every day. He said no worker in America should live in fear while doing their jobs.

He hoped the rally would raise awareness of the problem and encourage prosecutors to be tougher when enforcing criminal charges against lawbreakers. He said letter carriers, in knowing their neighborhoods so well, help protect residents when they spot suspicious behavior. It’s time for residents to return the favor by reporting suspicious behavior against carriers, he said.

“We’re simply asking all of you to look out for us the way we have looked out for you,” said Renfroe. “We should not have to be here today. This had to stop.”

Other incidents have been reported in Dearborn, where a robbery of a mail carrier at the intersection of Pardee Avenue and Penn Street in February prompted a reward of up to $50,000 for tips leading to a conviction. In October, two suspects were arrested in connection with an armed robbery of a carrier in Northville Township.

Sandy Laemmel, who is president of the union branch covering Detroit and several western suburbs, said the rising crime also affects residents. The thieves steal checks and other important information intended for customers, she said. The thieves also use the stolen material to steal the identity of residents and commit further crimes, she said.

Laemmel said residents could thwart crime against carriers by reporting when they see someone following a carrier, or parking their car right behind a mail vehicle. The residents should check on the carriers in those situations, even if something turns out to be a false alarm.

“We want to go home in the same condition we got here,” she said.

Laemmel said she would like to see Congress strengthen the law against people who commit crimes against mail carriers and enforce the laws already on the books.

David Mudd, a regional union officer in Michigan, said letter carriers weren’t asking for much, just the ability to do their jobs without being threatened. He hoped the rally would encourage people to assist the carriers in that regard.

“If you see something, say something,” he said.

As for McBee, who was robbed in July, he said he had always considered himself a vigilant person. Before working in Southfield, he had delivered mail in Ann Arbor. In all, he has worked for the post office for seven years.

He said he doesn’t understand why he and his coworkers are being targeted so often. After all, they’re providing a public service.

“It’s sad,” he said. “The younger generation have just lost respect for people.”