Incident Sparks Local Bomb Scare Spokane, Boise Federal Buildings Receive Threats
Heightened security is in place at the U.S. Court House in downtown Spokane, where a telephone bomb threat was received following Wednesday’s explosion in Oklahoma City.
U.S. Marshal Ron Dashiell said the male caller sounded intoxicated and made references to the bombing three hours earlier in Oklahoma.
The call, which was taped-recorded, was made to the Internal Revenue Service, Dashiell said.
There was no evacuation of the nine-story office building at 920 W. Riverside, where 650 federal employees work.
When such threats occur, floor monitors check their respective areas.
Court Security Officers working for the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service officers assigned to the General Services Administration routinely provide security.
The bombing in Oklahoma City instantly became a topic of discussion throughout the building.
“What this does is call to mind why we have security in this building,” Dashiell said.
“It’s also causing us to suffer from emotions, ranging from sorrow to anger, over what has taken place down there,” the U.S. marshal said.
Even before the bombing, security was relatively tight in Spokane. There is no public access to a basement parking garage. The only entry point is through front doors on Riverside Avenue.
Once inside, visitors must pass two security guards and go through a metal detector.
Visitors who enter any of five courtrooms in the building must pass a second metal detector.
Authorities have been concerned for some time about the ease of vehicle access to the plaza in front of the Spokane Court House.
Plaza renovation plans call for installation of concrete planters or other barriers to prevent cars from driving up to the building.
A federal building in Seattle also was the target of a threat Monday, but was not evacuated. Federal buildings in Boise and Portland were evacuated after threats.
A bomb attack “could happen any time, any place so there’s no sense worrying,” said Donald F. Downs, a mine inspector who works in the Coeur d’Alene Federal Building.
Downs was only 15 feet away when a bomb exploded in a planting box outside the Coeur d’Alene Federal Building in 1986.
No one was injured. Three white supremacists pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the bombings.
xxxx This sidebar appeared with the story: How to help Inland Northwest residents can donate blood for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing at the Inland Northwest Blood Center, 507 S. Washington. The center’s phone number is 624-0151. The local Red Cross chapter, 326-3330, is helping family members of bombing victims get information.
The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Bill Morlin Staff writer Staff writer Winda Benedetti contributed to this report.