Suspicious Packages

In this instance, the term suspicious packages is being used as a general term to cover a number of articles that could pose a potential threat, to include letters, packages or parcels, and unattended luggage or backpacks. Potential threats include, but are not limited to, IEDs [improvised explosive device] that take any form and can be any size, biological hazards such as anthrax, chemical hazards, and radiological hazards.

It is possible to come in contact with a suspicious package at home, in your workplace, or in public. You should always exercise caution if a package seems suspicious; report it immediately, and be prepared to act in a manner that enhances your safety as well as others. Above all, if you perceive a threat, call 9-1-1 from a land line.

How to Prepare

Stay informed of possible or reported threats in your area.
Understand how to identify suspicious mail or packages.
Become familiar with your office and community protocols for handling suspicious mail or packages and the contact numbers for regional/installation fire and emergency dispatch center, local security, law enforcement, and HAZMAT agencies.
Make a plan that includes identifying who you would immediately notify and steps you would take to safely protect yourself and others from suspicious mail or packages.
Build an emergency supply kit with non-perishables for your home, office, and car that includes gloves and a dust mask in case you must shelter in place, evacuate, or are placed in lock-down.

How to identify a suspicious package

This image depicts several physical characteristics of a suspicious package.

Signs to Look for

An article or package may:

Be unattended or arrive unexpectedly.
Have protruding wires, aluminum foil, powder-like substance, or oil stains, and emit a peculiar odor or sound.
Have excessive or foreign postage.
Have a fictitious or non-existent return address.
Have a postmark with a different location than the return address.
Bear restrictive endorsements, such as “Personal” or “Private.”
Have misspelled words, incorrect titles, and poor or distorted handwriting, or the name and address may be prepared with homemade labels or cut-and-paste lettering.
Be unprofessionally wrapped with several combinations of tape or string used to secure the package, and may be endorsed “Fragile—Handle With Care” or “Rush—Do Not Delay.”
Feel rigid, or appear uneven or lopsided.
Have an irregular shape, soft spots, or bulges.

What to do if you receive or encounter suspicious mail or packages

Remain calm, and listen to your intuition, without worrying about embarrassment if you are wrong. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t shake, open, touch, smell, or taste the article or any substances on the article.
Immediately call 9-1-1. Use a landline. Do NOT use a cell phone or device that sends a signal, as it could trigger an explosive device.
Notify your Commander to report and describe the suspicious article. If on or near a Marine Corps Installation, report the package at www.USMCEagleEyes.org.
If in an airport or other passenger or freight terminal, notify Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.
Isolate the suspect parcel, but do not place it in water or a confined space such as a drawer, cabinet, or closet.
Keep others away.
Shut off air conditioning units and fans that could circulate possible chemical, biological, or other hazards to other areas of the building.
If possible, open windows in the immediate area to assist in venting potentially harmful or explosive gases.
Evacuate the immediate area, but do not leave the vicinity altogether until you have spoken with law enforcement, and they have cleared you to leave.
Pay attention to emergency or Marine Corps Mass Notification System alerts.
If you handled the article in any way, wash your hands with soap and water.

Additional Information
Downloadable PDF

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Additional Information

Downloadable PDF

PDF