Envelope Containing White Powder Sent to Police

This story was updated Sunday, July 22.

Someone has mailed envelopes filled with a non-hazardous white power to six police departments, including Berkeley.

Friday, police in Berkeley, San Leandro, Union City, and Hayward received the envelopes. By Saturday morning packages of the powdery substance had been delivered to police in San Francisco and Oakland as well.

About 2:17 p.m., a woman working at the Ronald Tsukamoto Public Safety Building at 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way opened what appeared to be a letter. It was an envelope containing a white powder. Alarmed by the contents, she alerted her supervisors.

Police and fire fighters evacuated two floors; employees on other floors were directed to shelter in place, said Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.

Alameda County Fire Hazmat personnel safely analyzed the contents and deemed them to be non-hazardous.

Union City, Hayward and San Leandro police departments all reported receiving envelopes full of a mysterious substance at their offices Friday.

Tests Friday afternoon of a white powder delivered to the Hayward police ruled out anthrax, according to Hayward fire officials. The county hazmat team and firefighters responded to the San Leandro police station after an unknown substance was reported there around 1:45 p.m., county fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.

"We are not yet sharing the specific details as to the type of envelope, who it was addressed to or how it was delivered, as we are actively investigating the incident," Kusmiss said.

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