Peninsula: Anthrax not a threat here, officials say

Law enforcement agencies in Clallam and Jefferson counties have received calls about suspicious packages, but officials here say there is no real threat of a bioterrorist attack.

The greater concern is educating the public on how to identify potentially harmful mail, Port Angeles Police Chief Tom Riepe said.

“It would make absolutely no sense to use anthrax or some other biological, harmful virus or toxin and to send it to just a citizen or some small local business,” he said.

The Sequim police department has received calls in the past week about questionable mail, and three people brought in suspicious items, said Cathy Eldred, records specialist for the department.

“Just people asking, do we know, have we heard anything,” she said.

All incidents have been unfounded, including a report last week at the Port Townsend Post Office and a Tuesday call about suspicious powder found on bags of frozen food at a Safeway store in Port Angeles.

This full story appears in today’s Clallam County edition of the Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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