Denver police have relaxed the perimeter they set up in LoDo after a report of a “suspicious package” at 18th and Market streets.
A private courier company placed a collection box at the scene after regular U.S. Postal Service mail boxes were removed from downtown, a standard security precaution for the upcoming Democratic convention, said post office spokesman Al DeSarro.
Because no Postal Service box was supposed to be on the corner this morning, the new courier’s box triggered suspicion.
The bomb squad and a large number of squad cars responded.
Seven men surrounded the drab-green box, which did not have company markings on it, on the northwest corner of the intersection, and at about 10:45 a.m., police officers started taking down the yellow tape they had used to cordon off the scene.
At least five blocks of Market Street were shut down for about 40 minutes.
The box was moved from another LoDo location over the weekend because of construction, but the company employee didn’t tell anyone.
This morning, an employee who works in Republic Plaza noticed the box and alerted authorities.
When the owner of the box heard of the incident from media reports, he came to the scene and identified the box.
Denver Post staff writer Tom McGhee contributed to this report.
