Incoming Mail Procedures

Any delivered mail coming into a business or government office should be visually screened in the mailroom. After the mailroom screens the mail, it should then be delivered to the individual that it is addressed to, or the secretary for the work group. The mail should then be visually checked again. Mail should be inspected for obvious signs of a letter bomb or a letter that may contain anthrax or any other biological hazard. This inspection would include mail or packages delivery from FedEx, UPS and Airborne Express.

Any packages or letters delivered to the business should be screened immediately and the intended recipient contacted. If that person is not expecting a package and does not recognize the sender, the package should be refused. Depending on the company's policy, the letter or package without a return address may be destroyed.

If a package is deemed to be suspicious, i.e., obvious leakage of an unknown substance, local law enforcement should be contacted immediately. The letter or package should be isolated immediately. The letter or package will be turned over to the responding law enforcement agency.

Protective Equipment:

The following recommendations are guidelines written by the Arizona Department of Public Safety for mailroom personnel who open mail:

1. Wear glasses or clear goggles.
2. Don a protective paper mask.
3. Wear plastic or rubber gloves.

Inspection of Mail:

Before opening mail, it should be examined to determine if there are indications that it is suspicious. The United States Post Office has established the following list of characteristics that would trigger suspicion:

• Any powdery substance on the outside
• The letter or package is unexpected or was sent by someone unfamiliar to the recipient
• The parcel has excessive postage, poor handwriting, incorrect title or title with no name, misspelling of common words or an inaccurate address
• No return address or has an address that can't be verified as legitimate
• Letter or package has unusual weight, given their size or is lopsided or oddly shaped
• Has an unusual amount of tape
• Letter or package is marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal" or "Confidential"
• Letter or package has strange odors or stains

Opening Mail:

Use a letter opener on all mail. Hold the letter upright and look inside the envelope or package before removing any contents.

If a letter or package is found to contain a powder or unknown substance, immediately cease handling the parcel, isolate the suspect package, cordon the immediate area off to intrusion and notify local law enforcement authorities. As soon as practical, the worker/s that handled the suspected package should wash their hands with soap and water. For further information about mailroom procedures, go the United States Post Office web site.

Bomb Threat Response Plan

The guidelines in this plan are designed to help guard against the possibility of a bomb or incendiary attack on buildings for which you are responsible, and how, in the event of an attack, to minimize the risk to life and property.

Past experience has shown that the bomber can be totally indiscriminate in his attack and, therefore, no company can afford to be complacent. The level of security is something, which the company must decide on its own, dependent upon your particular risks and current political climate at the time.

Expert advice concerning your needs can be addressed by the Phoenix Police Bomb Squad. For advice and counsel, they may be contacted through "Crime Stop, 262-6151, or the South Resource Bureau at 495-5003.

Security measures are initially inconvenient but soon become part of your everyday routine, and are offset by the increased safety for your employees and customers.

The contents of this guideline has many sources. Special thanks must go to the FBI, the ATF, as well as several private security departments. What we believe to be the best of each has been included in this information. This response plan can be downloaded as either a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or an Adobe Acrobat document (.pdf)

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• Microsoft Word - Click here
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