Police detonated a suspicious object that a construction crew brought to the Portland police headquarters Thursday.Video: Police investigate suspicious item in PortlandPrivate contractors working in the downtown found the item and brought it to the police station just after 3 p.m., Lt. James Sweatt said. The department's bomb squad used a robot to investigate the object.Part of Franklin Street and the area directly around the police station on Middle Street was closed until police detonated the item around 6 p.m. Nearby buildings were also evacuated.Photos: Suspicious object found outside Portland PD“The item was disruptive, and the area has been rendered safe,” Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said. “Based on the size of the item and the experience and training of our hazardous devices unit, they made an assessment of what they had, what they saw and the strength they believed it to be. We had a perimeter set where we were comfortable that public safety was adequately covered.”Neither Sauschuck nor Sweatt would describe the item in detail.“It had the appearance of a hazardous device, which is why we followed the protocols that we did,” Sauschuck said. “It’s going to take a little more analysis to determine whether it was a hazardous device.”The scene was cleared around 6:15 p.m.Sauschuck said the investigation is ongoing.If a member of the public finds another suspicious item in the future, Sauschuck had some advice."I would leave it in place, contact us. Call 911 and we'll respond, we'll do an assessment on scene and deal with the situation there," he said.

Police detonated a suspicious object that a construction crew brought to the Portland police headquarters Thursday.

Video: Police investigate suspicious item in Portland

Private contractors working in the downtown found the item and brought it to the police station just after 3 p.m., Lt. James Sweatt said. The department's bomb squad used a robot to investigate the object.

Part of Franklin Street and the area directly around the police station on Middle Street was closed until police detonated the item around 6 p.m. Nearby buildings were also evacuated.

Photos: Suspicious object found outside Portland PD

“The item was disruptive, and the area has been rendered safe,” Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said. “Based on the size of the item and the experience and training of our hazardous devices unit, they made an assessment of what they had, what they saw and the strength they believed it to be. We had a perimeter set where we were comfortable that public safety was adequately covered.”

Neither Sauschuck nor Sweatt would describe the item in detail.

“It had the appearance of a hazardous device, which is why we followed the protocols that we did,” Sauschuck said. “It’s going to take a little more analysis to determine whether it was a hazardous device.”

The scene was cleared around 6:15 p.m.

Sauschuck said the investigation is ongoing.

If a member of the public finds another suspicious item in the future, Sauschuck had some advice.

"I would leave it in place, contact us. Call 911 and we'll respond, we'll do an assessment on scene and deal with the situation there," he said.