Sharp eye on mail

Local mail rooms take precautions in the wake of the nationwide anthrax scare

By Jim Haley

Herald Writer

EVERETT —The sign on the door of the Snohomish County mailroom says it all.

Nobody is allowed to enter the sorting room while employees are working, it says. The sign went up Monday in the aftermath of the nationwide anthrax scare to keep any unwanted agents from spreading — just in case some are sent there.

Nobody expects anything to happen, but it’s just one more symptom of a new kind of caution gripping Americans in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the recent spread of anthrax-laced letters.

Folks here and across the country are taking additional steps to prevent unwanted items from getting to their destinations

"We’re taking a second look at everything," Snohomish County mailroom supervisor Jim Sedberry said. "If we’re going to error, we’re going to error on the side of caution."

Sedberry had occasion to be cautious of one package Monday, and a parcel service delivery of a second to the District Court Division also created a stir.

Both merited calls for police and fire department examination of packages. Both turned out to be innocent.

One was brochures and tickets intended for a county Park and Recreation employee, but it had only a first name in the address. That’s one of the signs Sedberry looks for in seeking out suspicious mail.

The second was a priority package containing mail orders, fine payments being made by a court customer who sent it from Florida. It also had tape on it, appearing that it had been opened en route, giving rise to additional suspicion.

"Given all that’s been going on, we’re going to be real careful," said Dennis Howard, District Courts director.

The vigilance makes sense, said Ernie Swanson, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Seattle.

"I think there’s heightened concern because of some situations that have come to light," Swanson said. "We’ve had no confirmed cases of anything biological or chemical being sent through the mail in this area. But people are nervous. It’s just heightened awareness."

U.S. postal inspectors will meet with corporate groups with large mailrooms to teach employees what might be a suspicious package or letter. Groups seeking to set up such a session should telephone 206-442-6141.

At Verizon’s regional headquarters in Everett, employees have been warned to be on the lookout for suspicious letters or packages and to call a security officer if they find one.

"We haven’t changed anything in the way we operate other than we’re being far more cautious about the mail that’s coming in," spokeswoman Melissa Barran said. "We’re taking steps to educate all of our employees on the handling of letters and parcels."

At the Boeing Co., which last week received a letter containing suspicious powder at a mailroom in Kent, new checkpoints have been set up to inspect incoming shipments, spokesman Dean Tougas said.

The inspection points were set up a distance away from the company’s production areas.

Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen urged folks to be calm.

"People do need to vigilant and careful, but also to realize that law enforcement, as well as the government, is doing everything possible to protect the community," Jorgensen said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to some suspicious mail or package complaints last week, and at least a half dozen Monday, Jorgensen said. Complaints included reports of fliers with some type of powder on them being put in people’s mailboxes, Jorgensen said.

"We’re getting a lot of calls from people with envelopes," Everett Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Larsen said. "In most cases, it won’t amount to a hill of beans."

Larsen advised: "If you have any doubts, I wouldn’t open it. I think there’s going to be a lot of hysteria for a while. Who knows what’s in there? If it’s a bomb scare, that’s a police problem. If you open it up and you think you’re contaminated, we’ll certainly be there."

In Edmonds, Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Taylor said: "We’re buried in anthrax scares. We’re upgrading the equipment on our (fire) engines" to reduce wear and tear on a vehicle normally used for hazardous materials responses.

Taylor said local emergency workers were already "pretty well poised" to deal with the anthrax situation, thanks to previous training, but "we’re worried about the prank factor" wearing out the workers and their equipment.

Fire department officials were spending the day Monday passing out rubber gloves and giving "common-sense training" to nervous city employees on how to open mail, what to look for and what to call for help on, Taylor said.

"The suburban cities aren’t a likely target for terrorist action," Taylor added. "But we need to be prepared."

— Reporters Cathy Logg, Mike Benbow and Susanna Ray contributed to this report.

You can call Herald Writer Jim Haley at 425-339-3447 or send e-mail to

haley@heraldnet.com.

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