The FBI and local police are investigating a threatening letter sent to the Manheim Auto Auction.
Bomb-sniffing dogs and additional security will be on hand Friday at the auction's weekly sale, to ensure the safety of the almost 3,000 employees, a worker said.
Penn Township Police Chief Larry Snavely said the letter contained an "open statement" about threats and mentioned a specific date.
Snavely would not elaborate on the nature of the threats or the date mentioned. He said police are communicating with auction officials about increased security, but declined to say anything more.
Auction officials believe the threat is "not credible," a spokeswoman said today. She declined to provide additional details.
The FBI gets involved with threat cases if it is believed there may be a link to terrorism, said Special Agent Jerri Williams, a Philadelphia spokeswoman for the bureau.
An assessment was done and there is no reason to believe terrorism is involved with the threat, Williams said.
The FBI continues to work with the auction to try to determine the origin of the letter.
The auction worker, who asked not to be identified, said employees were told during meetings that dogs and other security measures would be present Friday at the business, off Route 72 south of Manheim.
"What I can tell you is we take the safety and security of our employees and customers very seriously," auction spokeswoman Lois Rossi said. "We are fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities on their investigation."
Whatever security is offered, it likely will have to be extensive, due to the auction's enormous size.
With 2,700 workers, the auction is the county's third-largest employer and operates on a 500-acre complex.
The 62-year-old auction annually consigns about 600,000 cars, typically owned by rental-car companies, leasing companies, manufacturers and banks. It sells about 350,000 of them, making it the largest auto auction in the world.
Buyers come from about 4,000 dealers in all 50 states and more than a dozen foreign countries.
Staff writer Cindy Stauffer can be reached at cstauffer@LNPnews.com or 481-6024.
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