Police precinct empties over ‘Santa’ envelope

Published 12:01 am Thursday, August 11, 2011

SEATTLE — It’s a sign of the times that an envelope marked “Special delivery from Santa” could prompt a two-hour evacuation of a police precinct.

A Seattle police spokeswoman said the legal-sized, white envelope that a postal carrier delivered Wednesday afternoon to the department’s North Precinct lacked a return address and was addressed to the police department.

The precinct was evacuated as a precaution. SeattlePI.com reported the bomb squad X-rayed the envelope and found it contained a credit card, purse, camera and cell phone. The spokeswoman said it was likely property that someone had found.