Home     News     Services     Online Services     Forms     Departments     Links     Search     Contacts

Basic Guidelines for Suspicious Mail

There have been some recent incidences in the U.S. of cutaneous (skin) exposure to anthrax, possibly through mail that was opened. These are currently being investigated. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, say Lane County is at low risk. The following is some combined information from the postal service and FBI for handling and identifying suspicious mail.

Suspicious Mail

• No return address, restrictive markings (such as "personal," or "confidential")
• Possibility it was mailed from a foreign country
• Excessive postage
• Misspelled words 
• Addressed to title only or incorrect title
• Protruding wires
• Badly typed or written
• Lopsided or uneven 
• Rigid or bulky
• Strange odor
• Wrong title with name
• Oily stains, discolorations, or crystallization on wrapper
• Excessive tape or string.

Handling Suspicious Mail

• Remain calm
• Avoid handling or trying to open package or envelope. Avoid shaking or trying to empty it.
• Avoid sniffing the package or tasting any substance associated with it.
• If it is a letter and is "not" leaking or losing contents - If possible, place it in clear plastic bag. 
• If it is leaking a powder or chemical - If possible, cover the container with clear plastic wrap or clear plastic sheet. Do not try to clean up the substance. 
• Isolate the parcel or letter and leave the area. Close the door or section off the area to prevent others from entering. 
• Wash hands immediately with soap and water to prevent the spread of contamination. 
• Contact your supervisor or evacuation coordinator.

If substance has leaked from the letter or parcel, the employee should:

• Remove contaminated clothing as soon as possible. Be prepared to place all items in plastic bags and present them to law enforcement agents if requested.
• Shower with soap and water as soon as possible. Do not use bleach or disinfectant on your skin.
• If smoke, fire, visible fumes, or strange odors are coming from the package, or if people are exhibiting signs of illness including difficulty breathing, or fumes are strong, evacuate the building and call 911.

For supervisors or evacuation coordinators:

• Evacuate the immediate area.
• If substance is leaking from the parcel or letter, inform the emergency coordinator, custodial staff or other maintenance staff to activate the automatic HVAC cutoff switch.
• Call the police and report that you've received a parcel in the mail that may contain suspicious substances.
• Ensure that everyone who had contact with the piece of mail washes their hands with soap and water.
• List all the people who were in the room (or area) when the suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give the list to law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.

Mail Room Security Awareness  (source:  US Postal Service)

The mail room is the focal point for businesses and government agencies and is often the most overlooked when applying security policies and procedures. A comprehensive and effective mail room security program should include policies and procedures to reduce risks and losses.

Security is extremely important to mail room operations both large and small. Lack of security can result in theft of supplies, postage, mail, and valuable information about your business contained in sensitive mail. When reviewing your mail center policies and procedures, the word is Prevention.

Biological and Chemical Threats:

Federal Criminal Code defines weapons of mass destruction as:

• · any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors; such as mustard gas, nerve agents, and sarin gas.
• · any weapon involving a disease organism; such as small pox botulinum toxin, and anthrax.
• · any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life.

What are the chances of receiving a mail bomb?

The chances of your firm receiving a mail bomb are extremely remote. The chances are considerably greater of receiving a telephoned bomb threat or finding a suspicious and potentially harmful device placed at your office or on your property. The number of instances over the last six years has been minimal. By comparison, the U. S. Postal Service safely delivers five hundred million letters and packages every day.

The key is to have a comprehensive bomb threat response plan to deal with mail bombs, bomb threats, and suspicious placed devices. When properly planned and implemented, a bomb threat response plan will prevent any such incident from creating panic among your workforce or inflicting physical harm to your employees or facilities.

Postal inspectors are the experts in mail bomb detection and investigation. We offer the following suggestions to help you formulate a comprehensive bomb threat response plan that addresses bomb threats and placed devices. We also offer a ten-step mail bomb screening program to help your mail center personnel detect suspicious devices in the U.S. mail or delivered by private courier.

Determining Vulnerability

The vulnerability of you and your firm depend on a variety of factors - both internal and external. Experience has shown that no individual or organization is completely immune from attack. A sound assessment of your vulnerability is critical to the preparation of a bomb threat response plan.

Consider the following possible sources of danger in evaluating your firm’s vulnerability:

• Foreign terrorism

Does your firm have foreign officers, suppliers, or outlets? If so, in what countries? Are you doing business in countries where there is political unrest or civil strife?

• Domestic hate groups

Is your firm a high-profile organization whose services, research, or products are the subjects of public controversy?

• Workplace Violence

Has your firm experienced a recent downsizing, take-over or reorganization requiring layoffs? Has any employee complained of being physically abused, harassed, or of being “stalked”? Has any employee made threats to harm any other employee or the firm itself?

Positive answers to any of these questions will help you and your security manager identify potential sources of bombs or bomb threats.

Placed bombs

Since the majority of explosive devices are placed, not mailed, it is imperative that your security plan includes sound controls over those that can physically gain access and move about your facility and the immediate surroundings. Such steps can reduce much of your risk.

General Guidelines from U.S. Postal Service

If you receive a suspicious letter or package:

1.  Handle with care, don't shake or bump.
2.  Don't open, smell, touch or taste
3.  Isolate it immediately.
4.  Treat it as suspect and call law enforcement authorities.

For a bomb:

• Evacuate Immediately
• Call Police
• Contact Postal Inspectors
• Call Local Fire Department/HAZMAT Unit

For Radiological

• Limit Exposure, Don't Handle
• Distance (evacuate area)
• Shield yourself from object
• Call Police
• Contact Postal Inspector
• Call local fire department/HAZMAT Unit

http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_1010tips.htm