Brecksville Police Still Investigating Suspicious Package But Don’t Consider It a Threat

The is still looking into the found outside of the last week, but Detective Dave Hetrick said they’re not considering it to be a threat of any kind. 

Hetrick said the package was full of locally purchased items, and the department is trying to find out who left it. 

According to the police report, the package was made up of two shopping bags stacked on top of one another. A black rose was extending out of the top bag. The bottom bag had a box of glassware in it, but police could not identify the contents of the top bag. The Southwest Enforcement Bureau’s bomb squad was contacted. They X-rayed the package and could still not see what was inside, so they blew it up.

Parma Police Officer Franco Lanza, commander of the bomb squad, said they receive about 25 to 30 calls a year. The Southwest Enforcement Bureau responds to 19 cities in the region.  

The calls are usually for suspicious packages or military ordinances—potential explosives like hand grenades, Lanza said. People who served in a war might have brought them home as a souvenir, but when family members find them, they don’t know if they could still be explosive. 

Lanza said that citizens should always be alert for suspicious behavior, like someone taking photos of a bank, and that they shouldn’t be afraid to call the police if they see something out of the ordinary. Residents should call their local police department and, if necessary, the department will call the Southwest Enforcement Bureau.