FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas Police blocked off Lindell Avenue near Futrall Hall for about 45 minutes Wednesday morning, after a suspicious device was seen on top of a metal plate of a utility covert near the sidewalk. The device turned out to pose no threat.

The device appeared to be electronic, with a wire running under the lid. A caller reported the device to police at 7:44 a.m. Lindell Avenue was closed off and officers re-routed vehicles and pedestrians away from the area as a precaution. Facilities management was contacted but could not identify the device.

“In a situation like this we always want to take every necessary precaution,” said Lt. Vance Rice of the University Police. “Safety is always our first concern.”

The University Police K-9 unit was called in and arrived on the scene at about 8:30 a.m.

Using the department’s bomb sniffing dog, officers determined the device was harmless, and the road was re-opened.

Facilities management later determined that the device was a city of Fayetteville remote transmitter that sends water meter information to the city. It is permanently attached to the underside of the metal plate and connected by a wire to a water meter below. The transmitter allows city workers to read the meter and monitor water usage remotely. Someone apparently turned the metal plate over Tuesday night, so that the transmitter was on top and visible from the street.