terrorism

The Jerome Medical Center at Bank Street and Washington Avenue in the City of Batavia has been evacuated after an anonymous bomb threat was received there about 3:30 p.m.

The facility provides urgent care, mammography, laboratory and pathology services.

Law enforcement communications on the scanner have been encrypted -- scrambled.

The threat is under investigation.

UPDATE 4:29 p.m.: Bank Street between East Main Street and Washington Avenue is closed. The housing complex for seniors -- Jerome Senior Apartments -- has not been evacuated, but staff has been informed of the situation.

UPDATE 4:46 p.m.: Additional streets have been cordoned off, establishing a perimeter for the preliminary investigation, said Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence. The other junctures closed off are: Alva Place and State Street; East Main and Summit streets; and Washington Avenue and Summit Street. Lawrence said the residents of Jerome Senior Apartments are to be evacuated; calls have been made to those in charge of the residential facility.

UPDATE 5:01 p.m.: Department of Public Works barricades have been put in place at several locations where officers had been posted to close streets off from traffic. The county's Emergency Response Team is at the command post in the parking lot at Alva Place and Bank Street (the site of the summer Downtown Public Market). Two State Police K-9 units are on scene; so are city fire crews.

UPDATE 5:28 p.m.: Officer Lawrence says the residents at Jerome Senior Apartments were told an hour ago to shelter in place. Reverse 9-1-1 calls were placed to people on Washington Avenue, Bank Street and Summit Street.

UPDATE 5:49 p.m.: Two State Police K-9 units went through the medical facility and exited the building a few minutes ago.

UPDATE (By Howard): Photos added. Officer Marc Lawrence said the scene was cleared by the K-9s. Nothing suspicious was found and the urgent care would reopen.