Bomb Squad Called To Inspect Mysterious Package, Hot Dogs Found Inside

This is not a drill — or so the Florence Alabama Police Department thought in its investigation of a suspicious package found at a post office in Florence, Alabama. On Wednesday morning, a post office employee noticed a package behind one of the columns near the building entryway, according to WAFF. The police blocked off the area and bomb techs arrived to the scene. Two bags were reportedly placed in front of the post office.

The bomb techs used their equipment to scan the bags. As a result of the scan, the police expanded the perimeter and a robot was used to move the suspicious bags into a special vehicle. From there, the bags were taken to an undisclosed location for further examination. The bags were filled with hot dogs wrapped in aluminum foil.

Despite the false alarm, the Florence Alabama Police Department stands by its handling of the situation. Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler says, "We don't have the privilege of dealing in probabilities; we have to consider all possibilities. We can't guess wrong. We can't assume anything, because if we assume wrong at the wrong time at the wrong location, it could cost somebody their lives."

A local restaurant, Wildwood Tavern, took the incident as a marketing opportunity. A Facebook post by the restaurant reads, "Today marks the first time one of our delicious dogs has ever been opened by a robot and accused of being a bomb. 'The Atomic Dog' is officially famous." The restaurant offered customers $1 off all hot dogs for the day. The restaurant also created a 'Bomb Squad Dog,' inspired by the incident, free for the Florence Alabama Police Department and bomb squad for the weekend. Wildwood Tavern says, "#makehotdogsnotbombs."