Suspicious package at Dallas PD headquarters ruled harmless

DALLAS - A suspicious package that prompted an evacuation at Dallas police headquarters Monday morning turned out to be harmless.

Dallas police said the package was found near the north entrance of the Jack Evans Police Headquarters on Lamar Street around 9:30 a.m. A mail courier actually spotted it and reported it to building security. Police described it as a clear glass bottle with clear liquid inside and a note taped to it.

The building’s lobby was evacuated. Other officers and employees were asked to move to a safe location inside the facility while the bomb squad investigated.

An explosives unit, hazmat truck and fire engines all responded to the scene out of an abundance of caution. The streets around the building were also temporarily closed.

However, police said the bottle turned out to be harmless. The liquid inside was water.

“A hoax bomb offense will be made and the incident is under active investigation by the department,” the Dallas Police Department said. “We want to thank the local residents, businesses, and motorists for their patience during the time we were conducting this operation.”

Monday morning's incident comes nearly a year after five officers were gunned down in downtown Dallas. Nearly two years ago, James Boulware opened fire into the headquarters building from an armored truck before leading police on a chase. In February, a drive-by shooter targeted the south central station building.

“Over the last couple of years, it's become more and more important to officers that they are very vigilant about their own safety. And so that does add an extra measure of stress to the job,” said DPD Asst. Chief Randy Blankenbaker.

The city allocated about $125,000 to study what security upgrades should be made at the headquarters and substations, but police say the process is an evolving one and those improvements have yet to materialize.