Posted on 07/18/2005 9:20:43 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
Not a problem pez.
Thanks for understandng.
damn, anytime.. they read right, but havent read enough i dont think.
c ya.
-pez
Not so strangely enough, the exact same thing happened at my mall (a leather backpack). We phoned the local police after an extensive search for the owner.
There had been a fairly large crowd of Arabic speakers (I know, I know..Don't stereotype) in the mall that day, as well as a large tour group from Israel. A fairly rare combination.
Anyway, The policeman looked it over in detail, then opened it slowly while looking for any wires. Once it was clear that there was no danger..we took it to lost and found.
No evacuation, but we did keep people at a safe distance.
Problem: The officer could've been wrong. He was not an explosives expert. There is not always a right answer to this. You don't want to clear a mall over a stupid forgotten bag, but you don't want anyone to be the next victims either.
Perhaps even we went overboard. What would you all have done? Keep in mind that many on this forum would sue the daylights out of a mall if something like this went wrong and killed one of thier own family members.
Next time, and there will be a next time, I'm sure we'll handle it just like Santa Monica Place did.
Good night pez.
Sleep well.
QUOTE: "Problem: The officer could've been wrong. He was not an explosives expert. There is not always a right answer to this. You don't want to clear a mall over a stupid forgotten bag, but you don't want anyone to be the next victims either."
You're exactly right and that is why there are robots and dogs around the country that check these packages.
UPDATE...
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/4739706/detail.html
AP
"Bomb Scare Evacuates 2,000 From Santa Monica Mall"
"Investigation Closes Nearby Roads"
POSTED: 7:10 pm PDT July 18, 2005
UPDATED: 10:48 pm PDT July 18, 2005
SANTA MONICA, Calif. --
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Fabrega said police set up a command post in the 100 block of Broadway and brought in bomb-sniffing dogs.
Shortly after 8 p.m. police gave an all-clear signal and determined it was not a bomb.
Police did not say what the device was."
Adding this here for information and archival purposes:
---
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22suspicious+package%22&btnG=Search+News
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22suspicious+packages%22&btnG=Search+News
http://www.altavista.com/news/results?q=%22suspicious+package%22&nc=0&nr=0&nd=4
http://www.altavista.com/news/results?q=%22suspicious+packages%22&nc=0&nr=0&nd=4
Thanks, Cindy.
One nut case to another. ;-)
You're welcome.
Smiling...
I apologize. Simply being tired while not getting along was not an excuse to sink to name calling. I’m sorry.
I accept your apology.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Now...back to FReeping.
See I would prefer evacuations to people being hurt. Because if 1 of the parcels is, in fact, a bomb, that may be the mall that my family is shopping at.
Rather safe than sorry.
By Lookout Staff
July 19 -- Some 2,000 people were evacuated from Santa Monica Place Monday afternoon after mall security, responding to a series of bomb threats, found a suspicious package, police said.
Santa Monica police cordoned off the streets around the indoor mall until shortly before 8 p.m., when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's bomb squad concluded that the package was safe, police said.
"We opened pedestrian and vehicle traffic," Fabrega said. "It's up to mall officials to allow access into the mall."
The mall reopened at around 8 p.m. until its regular 9 p.m. closing time, according to security.
Police responded to the scene at 4:30, after mall security received several "telephonic bomb threats," Fabrega said.
The calls informed the mall that there was a package containing a bomb inside Robinson's May, one of the mall's two anchor department stores, police said.
"As they (security) were doing a quick search of the area, they found the package," Fabrega said.
As the search was underway, mall security continued to receive" additional telephonic bomb threats, he said.
Police evacuated the building and cordoned off the area, Fabrega said.
For some two-and-a-half hours, police vehicles and parking meter carts blocked access to Santa Monica Place, which was surrounded with yellow police tape.
Mall workers, many of them in their uniforms, sat on the pavement as the bomb squad arrived and searched the 25-year-old building.
During rush hour, traffic was heavy on Ocean Avenue, the only north-south exit route west of 5th street, witnesses said.
New York keeps giving it up for Shrillary. That sure didn't exempt them from attack on 9/11.
The terrorists know they can strike Leftists without fear of reprisal. That's why they don't attack anywhere in the Red States.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.