A white powder turned out to be a false alarm at a Denver police office in the Bear Valley Shopping Center this afternoon.
A woman brought an envelope with the powder and a threatening letter into the police Cop Shop just before 4 p.m., prompting officials to lockdown the office.
The letter contained a skull and crossbones, the centuries-old symbol for poison.
Hazardous material crews raced to the center on South Sheridan Boulevard near West Hampden Avenue, but quickly determined the powder was not toxic, said Denver Fire Department spokesman Alex Paez.
Walt Brewer, a retired Denver police officer who volunteers at the Cop Shop, said the woman is involved in a property dispute and the letter, mailed from Lakewood, might be related to that.
He said she was upset over the threats in the letter. Denver operates nine Cop Shop offices, where trained police volunteers help individuals and businesses with non-urgent tasks, such as filing reports on fender-benders, thefts and zoning violations, as well as leaving crime tips.
