Investigation of suspicious package at City Hall ends safely following evacuation and street closures

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at approximately 2:49 p.m., an adult man approached the front desk at the Iowa City Police Department and placed a full backpack that had been padlocked shut in front of the police window. The man would not respond to the employee at the desk and left the building. Due to the suspicious nature of the item and the man’s behavior, City Hall was evacuated and the Johnson County Metro Bomb Squad was called in to assess the situation.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that the backpack contained a large amount of paperwork. The man who left the backpack was located by police and when questioned, stated he left the backpack at the police department’s front desk because he was upset about mail fraud.

The ICPD requests that community members not leave items in the Police Department lobby or City Hall without first speaking with City staff.

The Iowa City Police Department was assisted by the Johnson County Metro Bomb Squad, the University of Iowa Police Department, the Iowa City Fire Department, the Iowa City Streets Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Ambulance Services, and Johnson County Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

No criminal charges have been filed related to this incident.

View the announcement on the City of Iowa City website here. 

HAWK ALERT: The situation in the area of Gilbert and Washington Streets has been resolved, resume normal activity. See e.uiowa.edu for further information.

Law enforcement remains on scene investigating. Please continue to avoid the area. 

Update: City Hall has been closed. Please continue to avoid the area. Law enforcement in the area is investigating.