Libraries in Cook and DuPage receive bomb threats for second time this week
All Chicago Public Library branches, along with all Evanston Public Libraries, were closed for some time today following an emailed bomb threat to area libraries. The threats were made just two days after another wave of threats targeted multiple libraries across the Chicagoland area.
Chicago Public Library Director of Government & Public Affairs Patrick Molloy said threats were also sent to several Lake County libraries but wasn’t able to specify which ones.
“We find ourselves in an incredibly unfortunate time where libraries are being threatened for the inclusive role we play,” read a Thursday statement from Chicago Public Library. “Today, in response to a new threat, we evacuated and temporarily closed all CPL locations out of an abundance of caution. Once we learned that the threats were unfounded, we reopened all libraries where we had the capacity to do so.”
These newest threats came after a wave of bomb threats were sent Tuesday to specific Chicago and Chicagoland libraries.
Harold Washington Library and a handful of suburban libraries received bomb threats Tuesday afternoon, requiring police and bomb squads to respond and forcing some institutions to close for the day.
No bombs were found and no one was hurt, according to statements from the Chicago Police Department and the libraries affected.
Chicago Police confirmed an anonymous bomb threat was emailed to an employee at Harold Washington Library around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The bomb squad conducted security sweeps of the building and no threat was found. The library remained open and police are continuing to investigate.
According to a news release from the Evanston Police Department, officers responded to a report of a bomb threat at Evanston Public Library along with the Cook County Sheriff Bomb Squad and METRA Police Department’s K-9 unit Tuesday afternoon. The threat was emailed to the library and mentioned that other bombs were placed at area libraries.
Both the Evanston Main Library and the Robert Crown Community Center, which houses a branch, were evacuated and officers declared the area all clear around 7 p.m., according to the news release. Both libraries reopened on Wednesday.
Another round of threats came to the Evanston Library on Thursday causing both to be closed around 3:30 p.m. according to tweets from the Evanston Police Department. The main library was cleared around 4:20 p.m. and will remain closed for the rest of the day.
On Tuesday, the Skokie Public Library was informed of the threats made at neighboring Evanston and despite indication from police they were not credible, Skokie Police conducted a full walk-through of the Skokie Library but found nothing of concern, according to Communications and Multimedia Engagement Manager Jane Hanna. The library remained open.
The Addison Public Library closed temporarily Tuesday due to a bomb threat it received over the chat function on its website, according to its Facebook page. The threat was sent around 2 p.m. and Addison Police and the DuPage County Bomb Squad investigated but found no explosives.
In Aurora, the Santori branch of the Aurora Public Library received a threat via electronic means Tuesday and Aurora police evacuated and searched all three of the library district’s library buildings but found no dangers. All three reopened later in the afternoon.
Due to the ongoing threats made to area libraries since early August, the Chicago Public Library is planning discussions on how to handle threats of this nature moving forward.
“While we closed today (Thursday) out of an abundance of caution, we do not want to embolden these bad actors or make decisions based on unfounded threats and we are going to be developing ongoing plans that also account for the stress and anxiety our workforce is experiencing,” read the statement from Chicago Public Library.
