Mail Safety

This is a safety alert coordinated between the Notre Dame Police Department and Risk Management and Safety.

We are reviewing mail-handling procedures with all staff.
Notre Dame Police Department has established a formal protocol for responding to suspicious letters or packages.
Mail Distribution Center has provided various departments on campus information regarding safe mail-handling procedures, that information is provided below.

Some typical characteristics Postal Inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that:

Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you.
Are addressed to someone no longer with your organization or are otherwise outdated.
Have no return address, or have one that can’t be verified as legitimate.
Are of unusual weight, given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped.
Are marked with restrictive endorsements, such as “Personal” or “Confidential.”
Have protruding wires, strange odors or stains.
Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn’t match the return address.

Do not try to open the parcel! Isolate the parcel.
Evacuate the immediate area.
Call the Notre Dame Police Department (574) 631-5555 to report that you’ve received a suspicious parcel.
Do not handle the mail piece or package suspected of contamination.
Make sure that damaged or suspicious packages are isolated and the immediate area cordoned off.
Ensure that all persons who have touched the mail piece wash their hands with soap and water.
List all persons who have touched the letter and/or envelope. Include contact information.
Place all items worn when in contact with the suspected mail piece in plastic bags and keep them wherever you change your clothes and have them available for law enforcement agents.
As soon as practical, shower with soap and water.