ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Chattanooga: Bombings give officers explosive experience

By: Jacqueline Koch
(Contact)

Included in this article

Teams of local police officers and investigators will examine three vehicle bombings this morning to determine what caused the explosions and how they occurred.

The teams have four hours to collect evidence, process the post-blast scenes and figure out how each explosive device was created as part of the final day of training for a three-day explosives course in the Moccasin Bend area.

“They’ll arrive (this) morning like they’re arriving on the scene and investigate to get the feel of first responders,” said Special Agent Darryl Hill, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Chattanooga field office.

The course, hosted by the bureau, brought together 30 law enforcement personnel this week to train them in investigating and reacting to the aftermath of an explosion. They also sat in on classroom-type seminars and learned about trends and statistics on improvised explosive devices. Local ATFE agents also explained how they helped teach Afghani and Iraqi police officers, among others, about responding to post-blast scenes.

Many of the techniques used overseas apply to officers in the United States, which does not see many explosions attributed to terrorism but deals with plenty of explosive criminal activity, including pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails, said Jason Harrell, an explosives enforcement officer and bomb technician with the U.S. Department of Justice and the ATFE’s explosive technology branch.

Learning about post-blast scenes is important not only to eliminate some of the chaos surrounding such incidents but also to help officials learn how to investigate a scene, he said.

“We’re in a different world and we have to be very aware of how to collect evidence properly so when it goes to the judicial system, it’s admissible,” Officer Harrell said.

On Wednesday, participants watched instructors set off a variety of explosives, including those inside vehicle tires and a blasting cap inside a dead chicken. Lt. David Woosley with the Chattanooga Police Department’s bomb squad, who also serves as homeland security coordinator for the region, explained all the explosions that occurred, pointing out what caused them.

Participants learned how to determine what caused an explosion based on the type of smoke and sounds emitted.

“It’s just a chance to enhance our capabilities,” said Jeff Griggs, a member of the Cleveland, Tenn., Police Department’s crime scene unit. “It helps us as a team effort and with any incidents we may have.”

Greg Chambers with the Chattanooga Police Bomb Squad said the training allowed him to learn what to look for when processing an incident.

“It’s very beneficial, especially for showing up on scene,” he said.

After participants left Wednesday, instructors blew up three vehicles in preparation for today’s investigation. The ATFE bureau plans to host several similar courses each year, Agent Hill said.

Comments