Package with ‘suspicious powder’ at Colorado Springs Police substation identified as cocaine
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Multiple crews responded to the Colorado Springs Police Department's Falcon Substation on Wednesday morning due to a package with a suspicious powder, which was later identified as cocaine.
According to CSPD, a community member received an envelope and brought it to the police station Wednesday morning when she found a suspicious powder inside.
The package was immediately taken outside and the Hazmat Team was notified and responded.
"We didn't have to evacuate the building, because they brought that package outside," said Ashley Franco, the public information officer for the Colorado Springs Fire Department. "If that package would have been left inside, we would have had to evacuate the building, disrupting all of that work."
The Colorado Springs Fire Department was on the scene as of 10:13 a.m.
"Our decontamination team is out here," Franco said. "Basically, what their job is, is when we go in to test that powder, if there are any exposures or anyone gets contaminated, their job is to make sure that our our crews are safe."
The envelope with the suspicious powder was taken to an enclosed blue tent, where the hazmat team tested the substance. Franco said the different tests to find out what the substance is don't take that long, but it's the preparation beforehand that takes the most amount of time.
"These things take time. So understand that, especially since this package is not inside the building, we have our time to take. So that's what we're going to do because we want to make sure everyone is safe. We want to know we can identify (the substance)."
Franco said the tests take about 15 to 20 minutes each.
"They're going to run all of their tests," Franco said. "The results will take about 15 to 20 minutes, possibly longer. It just depends. You should know relatively soon after our crews gear up and get inside."
After more than three hours on scene and multiple tests, the Hazmat Team identified the suspicious powder as cocaine. The fire department said it gave the cocaine to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
13 Investigates reached out to the CSPD to see if this incident is now being investigated after the substance was determined to be cocaine, but we haven't heard back.
