Suspicious package temporarily shuts down Palouse Highway near Regal

The Palouse Highway was shut down near Regal Street on Monday morning as police inspected a suspicious package.

Spokane Police Department technicians evaluated the device for several hours before concluding it was not a risk to the public and the street was reopened.

The device was discovered about 10:10 a.m. Monday by a passerby in a vacant lot on the north side of the Palouse Highway across from the Target shopping center, said Julie Humphreys, a police department spokesperson.

“They did the right thing,” Humphreys said of reporting the suspicious device.

Police responded immediately, shutting down Palouse Highway. After investigating the device, which was found near a walking path, it was determined to be nonhazardous, Humphreys said.

Officers cleared the scene and reopened the highway just before 2 p.m.

Despite getting the all-clear, Humphreys said the police department appreciates when community remembers report suspicious items or circumstances..