Suspicious objects prompt a police response and brief evacuations

Police briefly diverted traffic on Panama Street and evacuated several buildings after a report of suspicious items.

Police evacuated Cordura, Ventura and Suppes halls and diverted traffic on Panama Street briefly Monday morning as they investigated a report of suspicious objects taped to buildings, a sign, the ground and trees.

The objects turned out to be soda cans that were designed to collect data similar to a camera. They were made by students as part of a research project on the sun.

The Stanford Department of Public Safety issued an alert at 8:19 a.m., notifying members of the campus community to the evacuations and cautioning others to stay clear of the area. Once the police determined what the objects were and that they did not pose any danger, the evacuees were allowed to return to the building and Panama Street was reopened at about 9:30 a.m.

The Department of Public Safety, Stanford Emergency Management and the Palo Alto Fire Department responded to the incident.

The Department of Public Safety reminds members of the community to appropriately label research activities that might cause confusion on campus.