False Alarm for Suspicious Package Alert

Source: Santa Maria Police Department

UPDATE: This is an update to the suspicious package incident at the Santa Maria Police Department on Monday, October 29th, 2018. Members of the Santa Maria Fire Department and Santa Barbara County HAZMAT team responded to the police department and determined that the suspicious item was packaged in such a manner that it did not pose an immediate risk to the public. As public safety personnel prepared to collect the item for disposal, investigative efforts continued. 

During this process, the sender of the package was interviewed, as well as the reporting party. It was determined that the reporting party was in fact the intended recipient of the package, which was determined to contain small items of military memorabilia wrapped in bubble wrap and tissue paper to protect them during the mailing process. 

Fortunately, this incident turned out to be a case of mistaken suspicion and hyper vigilance. The Santa Maria Police Departmen t would like to remind our community that in the event you encounter a suspicious package or powder substance, please leave the item where it is, evacuate yourself and others from the area, and immediately call 911.