How should a Court Officer respond to a suspicious package inside a courthouse?

• A. Notify supervisors, secure area, and await proper responders.
• B. Inspect the package immediately.
• C. Ignore it if it seems minor.
• D. Evacuate or isolate area per policy, notify supervisors, secure area, and await proper responders.

Answer: (A)

When a suspicious package is found, the priority is to prevent harm by keeping people away and not handling the item. The best action is to notify supervisors so the incident protocol can be activated, secure the area to restrict access, and wait for trained responders to assess the situation. This approach minimizes risk, preserves any potential evidence, and ensures that professionals—such as a bomb squad or law enforcement—determine the appropriate next steps, including whether evacuation or further isolation is required. Inspecting the package could trigger a device or cause harm, and ignoring it is unsafe and negligent. Evacuation or isolation is important, but it should be carried out under the direction of the incident command or proper responders, not unilaterally.