By Dick Cook and Laure C. Martin Staff Writers
Hazardous materials experts in protective suits removed a suspicious "smelly" letter from a CARTA office building on Wilcox Boulevard on Wednesday.
After police ordered the building evacuated and temporarily isolated five people, authorities sent the letter and the business-size envelope it arrived in to a state laboratory in Nashville for testing.
"I want to reassure the public that there's no evidence of terroristic activity," Postal Inspector Mike Owens said. "But we're treating this with all due caution."
The incident came on the heels of news reports about a foul-smelling letter opened last week in a Franklin, Tenn., office that prompted hospital testing for 19 people. It also follows news of a Florida man dying of anthrax after a letter in his office was found to contain a soapy powder.
The incidents, and heightened security nationwide after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., have postal and package handlers re-evaluating how mail is handled.
The incidents also have people on edge.
"There's no way to describe the smell," said John Powell, the employee of the Electric Transit Vehicle Institute who opened the letter at the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority office here Wednesday. "The smell could have been a combination of smells from other rooms in the building, but I believed I smelled something."
Mr. Powell described the letter as "just odd."
"It was not threatening," he said, "but it was written in big letters and just didn't seem right."
Authorities said no residue or substance of any kind was found on either the letter or its envelope. And none of the people inside the building showed any ill effects from the foul odor, said Bruce Garner, a spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Increasing security
Local mail handlers said they already had begun to increase security.
"We are doing everything we can to secure the mail," said Linda Goodman, customer relations coordinator for the Postal Service in Chattanooga. "We have heightened security at all mail facilities."
Since the Unabomber's threats in the 1990s, post offices have enacted strict regulations on the size of parcels that can be dropped in a box, she said. And armed police officers check the mail that a clerk doesn't handle, Ms. Goodman said.
Now, security has been increased for hazardous materials and employees have been trained to recognize anything that might be dangerous. Ms. Goodman said additional security measures are confidential.
Likewise, other delivery service companies also are taking precautions, and being cautious about describing the efforts.
Officials at the United Parcel Service, the world's largest express carrier and package delivery company, said security measures are not disclosed.
"We do take security very seriously, but unfortunately we can't divulge our security procedures because it would dilute their effectiveness," said Bob Godlewski with the public relations office. "It's so the bad guys don't get any more ideas."
FedEx officials said they have heightened security since Sept. 11 and employees are trained to handle suspicious packages.
"We are doing everything possible to maintain security of our employees and the FedEx network," said Sally Davenport, FedEx spokeswoman. "Along with these measures, it's business as usual."
If residents do receive a suspicious package or letter, they should call police or postal inspectors immediately, Ms. Goodman said.
Wednesday's LETTER
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will try to unravel the questions about the smelly letter opened at CARTA offices Wednesday.
The case was turned over to TBI after Chattanooga police arrived at the Electric Transit Vehicle Institute at about 10 a.m., Mr. Garner said.
City officer Brian Lockhart ordered the building evacuated and the five people in the room when the letter was opened were isolated from others.
TBI Agent Scott Randolph would not say where the letter was mailed from.
At 1:25 p.m., four firefighters wearing protective suits retrieved the letter from the building. It was wrapped in three layers of plastic and placed in a metal container for shipping to the health lab.
The five people isolated as a precaution against spreading a possible contaminant showered in the building, changed clothes and went home, authorities said.
Postal Inspector Owens wanted to reassure the public about local mail service.
"We handle millions of pieces of mail a year and to date there's been no biological agent transported via the mail," he said.
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