Procedure for Suspicious Mail Pieces

The mail center needs to be a secure area with occupancy limited to mail center employees and company officers only. Mail Center personnel are part of the company command center team that helps make decisions concerning suspicious packages. If you have any questions about mail security or a suspected mail bomb, contact Jeff Waite immediately at Extension 3205 in Lowell or Soveasna Paak @ 3316 in Bedford.

The following guidelines outline our policy for our work area and any work area where someone may suspect a dangerous piece of mail or package.

  • Do not open the article
  • Isolate the mailing and evacuate the immediate area
  • Do not put in water or a confined space such as a desk drawer or file cabinet
  • Open windows to vent potential explosive gases
  • Contact the local Police Department: Lowell @ 978-937-3212, Bedford @ 781-275-1212

Telephone Procedures

If anyone notifies you via phone that a bomb has been placed, remain calm and ask the caller for additional information.

  • What kind of bomb is it?
  • What does it look like?
  • Where is it located?
  • Can you give us the office and floor number?
  • What will cause it to detonate?
  • Many innocent people may be hurt. Why are you doing this?
  • What is your name and address?
  • If Caller – ID is available, make a note of it.

Clues to a Suspicious Package - What to Look For:

  • Oily Stains
  • Addressed to “Title” only
  • Protruding Wires
  • Wrong Title
  • Ticking
  • Strange Return Address
  • Vibrating
  • Strange Shape
  • No Return Address
  • Strange Odor
  • Misspelled Words
  • Excessive Weight
  • Excessive Postage
  • Hand Delivered
  • Restrictive Markings i.e. Rush – Personal – Urgent

If You Find a Suspicious Package

  1. Write down the specific recognition points that caused the alert.
  2. Alert the other employees that a suspicious package has been found, the points of recognition, and to remain clear of the isolation are.
  3. Place suspect item in reinforced container and take it to the isolation area.
  4. Record all information from the package, such as:
    • Name and address of sender
    • Postmark
    • Cancellation date
    • Types of stamps
    • Any other markings or labels
  5. Contact management and security to inform that suspicious item has been detected in the screening process.
  6. Inform the Police and Postal Inspectors (if mailed) and give them all information recorded from the suspect item.

NOTE! Before calling the police, find out if the addressee has any knowledge of the item or its contents.

Questions to Ask the Addressee of a Suspected Mail Piece

  1. Is the addressee familiar with the name and address of the sender?
  2. Is the addressee expecting a package from the sender?
  3. If sender is unknown, is the addressee expecting any business correspondence from the City, State, or Country of origin?
  4. Is the addressee aware of any friends or relatives on vacation or business in the area of origin?
  5. Has the addressee ordered any merchandise from any concern whose parent organization might be located in the city, state, or country or origin?

Other Considerations:

The chances are considerably greater that your organization will receive a telephoned bomb threat or find a suspicious and potentially harmful device place on your property. It will not always look like a mailed package or a package from another carrier other than the United States Postal Service.

Last Modified: 8/4/23