Suspicious Package Making Ticking Sound Leads To Halas Hall Lockdown

LAKE FOREST, IL — Halas Hall was placed on lockdown for about an hour Wednesday as police investigated a suspicious package at the Chicago Bears training facility in west Lake Forest.

Bears team officials announced no one would be able to enter or exit the facility, according to multiple reports, and the package in question placed in the parking lot for police to check out.

“A suspicious and unmarked package was discovered at Halas Hall this morning, so out of an abundance of caution it was placed in a secure location on campus and we immediately contacted the Lake Forest Police Department," team spokesperson Brandon Faber told Patch.

Police Chief Karl Waldorf said the addressee did not recognize the sender's information and had not been expecting a delivery.

"In addition, a repetitive sound similar to ticking could be heard from inside the box," Waldorf said in an email.

Lake Forest police called in the Lake County Sheriff's Office's bomb-sniffing dog, K9 Boomer, and his handler, Deputy Brian Kilpatrick. The dog inspected the package and did not indicate any explosives were inside.

"Our detectives were able to locate and speak with the sender to verify the package was a routine business delivery," Waldorf explained. "Inside the box was a piece of equipment that had inadvertently turned on during the shipping process."

Around 12:45 p.m., team officials issued an all-clear, according to Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press. The Bears (3-11) are set to host the Buffalo Bills (11-3) Saturday at Soldier Field.

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