LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police say a suspicious device discovered in downtown Louisville Friday morning was removed and federal authorities have taken over the investigation.

Several streets were closed for hours while several law enforcement agencies conducted a search. 

Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields held a news conference Friday afternoon explaining the situation not long before the all clear was given.

"We have determined that the package is safe to transport, so we will be transporting it off-site for testing, and the FBI will be taking control of the investigation," Chief Shields. "We appreciate all of the patience of the community. We know it was long. And we are thankful that people were supportive of us in allowing us to do what we needed to do."

The device, which police described as "a pipe with wires protruding from it," was found at the corner of South 5th Street near West Jefferson Street. 

Several streets were blocked in downtown Louisville Friday morning as a result of the investigation. The public was  asked to avoid a six block radius that includes Market, Jefferson and Liberty Streets, as well as Armory Place near the Gardens and Muhammad Ali Boulevard near Sixth Street. 

Police began removing crime scene tape on some streets around 1:15 p.m.

ATF agents assisted the LMPD bomb squad and Metro SWAT in the search, including checking garbage cans outside buildings. The LMPD Bomb Squad also deployed its robot to aid in the search. 

After nearly five hours of searching, police reopened Fourth Street around 1:15 p.m. Not long after that, Jefferson Street was opened, and police lifted the shelter in place recommendation for people downtown.

The device that was found was taken to a different location for further analysis, and LMPD said on Saturday that the Bomb Squad "determined the bomb was not an explosive." 

LMPD's Recruit Graduation ceremony was originally supposed to take place in Louisville Metro Hall, which is nearby, on Friday morning, but it was rescheduled. 

LMPD is now asking for the public's help in the case. Anyone with information on the suspicious package is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 574-LMPD or report it online here. 

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