Package leads to evacuation of City Hall

By Michael Burge

UNION-TRIBUNE

September 4, 2008

OCEANSIDE – A package delivered to the Oceanside Civic Center yesterday caused officials to evacuate City Hall and the adjoining library, until the sheriff's bomb squad determined the parcel was safe.

The package was beeping when a FedEx driver delivered it to the city clerk's office at City Hall, frightening the driver and a city employee.

They called police about 2:25 p.m., and 150 to 175 employees and visitors were ordered out of the buildings as a precaution.

The package was addressed to the Fire Department.

While standing on Pier View Way outside the municipal complex, fire officials figured out what was probably in the parcel.

“It's a device used to monitor voltage (in fallen wires) if you're at the scene of an accident,” Fire Chief Terry Garrison said. “It's called a 'hot stick.'  It beeps. That's the noise they heard.”

The Sheriff's Department arson and bomb squad went into the building and confirmed that the package contained three of the devices and that one of them had turned on.

“Next time we're going to ask them not to ship it with the batteries,” Garrison said.

People were allowed back into the buildings about 4:10 p.m., and a City Council meeting began on schedule at 5 p.m.