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People throughout the nation are afraid of contracting anthrax and are scrutinizing their mail after recent scares.
At least a half dozen reports of suspicious mail have been received by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department since Friday, one by the Warsaw Fire Department and one by Milford Police Department.
None of the items that were turned over to authorities pose any health threat, officials said.
"The odds are very small" that anybody here will receive tainted mail, said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, "but we have to take everything seriously."
At least two of the pieces of mail reportedly had some sort of powdery substance in them, while one letter was mailed to a Warsaw resident from a location in New York. The recipient told police she doesn't know anybody in that state and did not want to open it.
In an effort to track all suspicious mail reports, the KCSD developed a form that can be filled out by the responding officer. Rovenstine said this format will help organize the complaints in the computer and make them easily accessible as a whole.
Residents who receive any type of mail they feel is suspicious should call their local police or fire department and the item(s) will be picked up and turned over to the Kosciusko County Health Department for testing.
Any such mail should be handled by as few people as possible and should be double bagged in plastic. If the mail is believed suspicious, the recipient should not open it before calling authorities.
Anything deemed a credible threat will be forwarded to the FBI, Rovenstine said, and the item will be tracked.
To report suspicious mail, call the Warsaw Police Department at 372-9511 or the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department at 267-5667.
