Anthrax "Threat" Guidelines
for Arkansas Law Enforcement (11/09/2001)

Issued by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force of Arkansas (JTTFA)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Arkansas State Police (ASP), and Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) have established the following protocol for dealing with suspicious letters/packages and/or hazardous material.

The ADH, located in Little Rock, is the sole facility in Arkansas certified to conduct biological testing for anthrax. The ADH is currently overwhelmed with specimens submitted by local law enforcement and HAZMAT responders. First responders are encouraged to exercise good judgment in determining whether a suspicious item should be sent to the ADH, as such a response may not be appropriate. Note the ADH only accepts requests for testing from law enforcement agencies.

The FBI and the ADH Laboratory should be involved in such incidents only when there is a credible threat or implied threat of anthrax. This is defined as an opened package or letter that contains a powdery substance and/or a package or letter that contains written information stating or implying anthrax contents or an intent to harm the recipient. In the absence of a credible or implied threat, testing for anthrax will riot be provided through the ADH, and the FBI will not take possession of the package/letter.

For non-threat situations: If a person receives a letter, package or other item that is not accompanied by a threat, but is causing them concern and they are unwilling to open it, advise them to place the item in a plastic bag and throw it away.

The FBI will aggressively investigate all anthrax related hoaxes in violation of Federal statutes.

LEVELS OF RESPONSE

LEVEL ONE THREAT

• Letters/packages with liquid or powder material
• Suspicious markings or threatening correspondence
• Postmarked from suspicious origin, including New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Florida

Specific target of particular vulnerability, e.g., Government agency, public official, large business office or other critical infrastructure. Law enforcement agencies and HAZMAT officials should take extreme caution with a Level One Threat and follow these procedures:

1. Notify Little Rock FBI, (501) 221-9100; ASP communications Center, (501) 618-8100 (or by ACIC terminal) Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), (501) 730-9751 or 1-800-322-4012. Little Rock FBI will coordinate a threat assessment and technical assistance through FBI Headquarters.
2. Law enforcement and HAZMAT officials, where available, should conduct a Hazard Risk Assessment to determine steps to contain and collect the packages/letters and/or suspect material.
3. Law enforcement should always be alert for potential explosive hazards which may require the assistance of a Bomb Technician.
4. Items should be triple bagged in plastic bags, placed inside a bio-hazard container and tagged as evidence for the FBI.
5. The item must be transported to the ADH, 4815 West Markham, Little Rock, and Chain of Custody forms should be completed.
6. Provide incident reports and accompanying documentation to the FBI and ASP Office of Investigative support.

LEVEL TWO THREAT

A Level Two Threat may involve some, but not all, of the pre-requisites for a Level One Threat response. A Level Two Threat response requires a threat assessment from the FBI in order to determine if the threat is deemed credible. Law enforcement will have the discretion to transport the suspect items to the ADH.

• Letters/packages with liquid or powder material
• May or not have suspicious markings or no return address
• May or not have a suspicious origin/postmark
• May or not involve a specific target or vulnerable entity/location

Law enforcement should refer to the same procedures set forth under a Level One Threat, including:

1. Notify ASP and ADEM
2. Conduct risk assessment, contain scene and collect items
3. Triple bag items and tag for either pickup by FBI, the submitting law enforcement agency or for destruction at the ADH.
4. Transport to the ADH and advise of the estimated time of arrival.
5. Provide incident reports to the FBI and ASP Office of Investigative Support.

LEVEL THREE THREAT

A Level Three Threat may require a limited response to a particular incident, and due to the lack of a credible threat, would probably not involve items being transported to the ADH. After consultation with the FBI, law enforcement agencies may have discretion to transport suspect items to ADH. Note ADH will not accept unopened packages/letters and will not accept submission from the general public.

• Unopened packages/letters with suspiciousmarkings/postmarks
• Suspicious material that is powder without an explicit or implied threat
• Opened packages/letters with suspicious material
• Mass or bulk mailings, e.g., advertisements, fund raising material, religious tracts, etc. Note various substances are typically applied to letters to prevent pages from sticking together.

Law enforcement should refer to the same procedure set forth under Level One and Level Two Threats, including:

1. Notify FBI, ASP and ADEM
2. Conduct risk assessment
3. If threat is deemed credible, triple bag items and tag for return or destruction.
4. Transport to ADH and advise of ETA. Note: Reusable law enforcement equipment may be decontaminated by utilizing a bleach solution. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) advises that a cleaning solution of part bleach and 10 parts water can be used for clean-up and decontamination concerning suspected anthrax. The bleach solution should be allowed to stand for 30 minute to one hour before wiping/cleaning the contaminated surface.
5. Provide incident reports to the FBI and ASP Office

The information below is provided by the Arkansas Department of Health

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Anthrax for Local Law Enforcement

What should Law Enforcement do if an opened envelope contains a powdery substance?

The initial steps that law enforcement are recommended to take are similar to the steps that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise the public to take with respect to an opened envelope or package.

NOTE: For the safety of our personnel, the ADH does not accept unopened packages or envelopes for testing.

If the envelope or package has been opened, do not shake or empty the contents of any suspicious envelope or package; DO NOT try to clean up powders or fluids.

PLACE the envelope or package in a secure plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents. Put the plastic bag (or container) into a larger container that has been securely taped. If possible, label the container as “Biohazard”. Chain of custody should ideally be initiated from local law enforcement.

If you do not have a container, then COVER the envelope or package with something (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove this cover.

Then LEAVE the room and CLOSE the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e., keep others away).

WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face or skin.

If possible LIST all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.

Remove heavily contaminated clothing and place in a plastic bag that can be sealed; give the bag to law enforcement personnel. Shower with soap and water as soon as possible. Do not use bleach or disinfectant on your skin.

How should law enforcement transport package?

When the sample has been securely bagged, the local law enforcement should contact the ADH Communications Center (501.661.2136, 800.633.1735) to inform ADH when the package is departing for Little Rock. Local law enforcement should transport the specimen to the back dock of ADH. The Health Department is located at 4815 W. Markham, Little Rock. The street directly behind (and north of the Department--Palm Street) is where the back dock is located. Law enforcement should turn south on Palm Street off of Markham and turn right at the third drive leading to the building. Officers should come to the loading dock, ring the buzzer, and announce your name and affiliation. An ADH employee will greet you at the door to receive the specimen. The location is the same delivery location as where blood alcohol samples for testing are delivered.

Reporting of Results

The results of laboratory testing will be communicated as soon as available to law enforcement requesting analysis.

If you have other questions, please call the Bioterrorism Command Center at 501.280.4817, Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. After hours, contact the ADH Communications Center at 501.661.2136, 1.800.633.1735.