Scene at Milwaukee County Safety Building
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County jail inmate sent a letter with a white substance to the office of the district attorney, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said.
That sparked a hazmat response to the Milwaukee County Safety Building, around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23.
"A staff member of the office opened a piece of mail containing a white substance. The item was opened in an isolated area of the office. Emergency personnel have responded to the office and no one is suffering any medical impact from the incident," Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said at the time of the emergency response.
The Milwaukee Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Unit donned airtight, head-to-toe protection, including air tanks, as they investigated the white substance. The standard procedure is to test the material for all kinds of threats, including those that might be biological or radiological, as well as poisons, fentantly, and other dangers.
By Monday evening, the MFD hazmat team found the substance was not dangerous.
"It was deemed safe at this point and the building was turned over to the sheriff’s office and back to normal operations," Milwaukee Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeremy Starr said after the scene was cleared.
The department's testing did not reveal what the substance is, just that it is not dangerous.
Starr said the FBI took possession of the envelope and material.