NEWS RELEASE: December 11, 2008
FROM: The Kansas Highway Patrol
CONTACT: Technical Trooper Edna Buttler (785) 296-6800
KHP Responds to Governor's Office For Suspicious Letter
The Kansas Highway Patrol responded today to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius' office after a staff member opened a letter containing a powder-like substance. The Patrol's Governor's Security and Capitol Police personnel responded, along with personnel from the Topeka Fire Department's Hazardous Materials team, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Kansas State Fire Marshal's office, and U.S. Postal Inspectors.
The initial call from the Governor's Office came to the Patrol's Capitol Police dispatch around noon, and the office was locked down, with no one allowed into or out of the office. Preliminary testing from the Haz-Mat team shows the substance to be non-hazardous. The Fire Marshal's office has collected the evidence and transported it to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for further testing.
Similar cases have occurred this week throughout the United States, with at least two other states receiving suspicious letters today. As a result of previous occurrences elsewhere, mail handlers, office staff, and those responsible for security of the Capitol Complex were operating at a heightened state of vigilance. The Patrol's protocol was followed, and appropriate measures were taken to ensure the safety of the Governor, state employees, and others who happened to be in the Capitol today.