4/29/2023 0 Comments Fbi suspicious package![]() The anthrax scare of 2001 no doubt added to the paranoia against suspicious packages. Packages and bags are now routinely scanned in airports and often opened and searched for hazardous substances. The 9/11 attacks, however, marked a quantum leap in the escalation of security procedures worldwide. The ‘war on drugs’ which began in the late 1960s also contributed to our suspicion against mail packages and travel baggage these were often randomly checked for illegal substances. Concerns about unattended packages or bags in public places were kept alive by bombing incidents in the 1960s to 1990s. So when did we start regarding packages as suspicious? The history of the ‘suspicious package’ is probably at least 50 years old. In the more relaxed era of the late 1950s, ‘brown paper packages tied up with strings’ were regarded as among Rodger and Hammerstein’s ‘favourite things’. Even the ‘plain brown envelopes’ that contain embarrassing or politically sensitive information are welcomed objects that promise the unveiling of secrets or solving of mysteries. Goods purchased by phone or through the internet are sent wrapped in protective papers and their arrival usually eagerly anticipated by the shoppers. Gifts are typically covered in opaque papers that disguise their content, perhaps so that the recipients are suitably surprised and delighted. ![]() In fact, there is something both mysterious and promising about wrapped packages in Western cultures. Paper-wrapped packages have not always been objects of suspicion. The FedEx manager said in-bound international shipments are screened by x-ray or bomb-sniffing dogs, and said the Texas blast could lead to changes in domestic security screening.Īirport-like security measures inside package sorting facilities and retail locations would be a costly and unnecessary step that would paralyze operations, particularly given the rarity of package bombs, said Satish Jindel, a founder of the delivery company that became FedEx Ground. Inspectors in its Dangerous Mail Investigations Program "are trained to recognize the common characteristics of suspicious mail and are highly proficient in the use of state-of-the-art equipment to include portable X-ray machines," the USPS said. mail, USPS reminded employees and customers to be observant about suspicious packages. The United States Postal Service said in a statement that although it appeared none of the devices in Austin were sent through the U.S. UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said the company constantly evaluates and adjusts its security measures, but does not discuss them in order to maintain their effectiveness. Like FedEx, UPS shipping terms and conditions allow employees to open and inspect packages, and the companies train employees on how to respond if they see packages that look suspicious or may contain drugs.įedEx and UPS have so far not described steps they may take to expand screening. It was also x-raying entire trailers filled with packages at that location and other trailers with packages originating from central Texas, a FedEx manager said.įedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey declined to comment on package screening and on the evidence FedEx provided authorities. The FBI's Ram did not elaborate on whether the agency was concerned about other deadly packages that may have slipped into a mail network that handles roughly 40 million parcels daily in the United States.įedEx was taking the extraordinary step of screening every package at the sorting facility outside Austin where a parcel bomb exploded on a conveyor belt on Tuesday. ![]() Some of the information may have helped identify the man who carried out the bombings, a FedEx executive said.įedEx Chief Operations Officer David Bronczek told employees in an internal memo seen by Reuters that the company provided "key evidence" to law enforcement officials on identifying the suspect. There was no suggestion by the FBI that FedEx had not followed protocols to the letter.įederal prosecutors said on Wednesday they had charged Mark Conditt of Pflugerville, Texas, with unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device before he blew himself up as police closed in on his vehicle.įedEx, United Parcel Service Inc and other couriers collect a vast amount of data on packages in their systems.
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