Cupertino, CA post office reopens after scare over `beeping' package

Cupertino post office reopens after scare over `beeping' package
By Jessie Mangaliman
Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/04/2007 10:50:41 AM PDT

The U.S Post Office in Cupertino was closed for two and a half hours this morning after an evacuation when an employee reported finding a "beeping" package.

Officials tracked down the sender and then opened the Express Mail package to find that it contained a battery-operated medical intravenous pump that had accidentally gone off.

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At least eight sheriff's deputy cars and a hazardous material truck were deployed to the scene.

A postal employee noticed the suspicious package "beeping," and notified authorities. It was reported to law enforcement at about 9 a.m. The facility reopened about 11:30 a.m.

More:
http://origin.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_5819013?nclick_check=1



See also:

Don’t encourage police to blow up your packages

By Donna Lovell
Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 2:56 pm in Cupertino.

The sender and intended recipient of an Express Mail package at the Cupertino post office today are lucky the package is still in one piece. When an employee reported hearing the package “beeping,” postal officials jumped into action — calling police and evacuating the building.

Suspicious packages are often blown up, but fortunately for the people on either end of the transaction, that’s not what happened this time. Instead, officials contacted the sender and got permission to open the package. They found a battery-operated medical pump that had accidentally gone off.

I’m sure all the people who tried unsuccessfully to go to that post office today wish the sender had heeded post office officials’ advice and taken the batteries out of the device before shipping it. Remember, never ship batteries inside a device of any kind. It can cause all kinds of trouble.

More:
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/crime/2007/05/04/dont-encourage-police-to-blow-up-your-packages/