Crime & Safety

'Suspicious Substance' Prompts Menlo Park Police Evacuation

City Hall was also briefly closed while authorities investigated the substance.

MENLO PARK, CA — Menlo Park's City Hall and Police Department were closed temporarily Thursday morning after a resident brought a suspicious substance there, police said.

"The individual had initially received the substance through the mail," police said in a news release. "Both fire and police personnel followed established protocols when dealing with the potentially hazardous materials."

However, "the substance was subsequently determined to be inert."

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City Hall reopened at about 8:40 a.m., police said. Details about the nature of the substance were not immediately available.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone

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