Bomb threat: a primer for the first responder.

A group of business people returning from lunch notices an unattended briefcase in the entryway of their building. Having heard about bombs left in such circumstances, one group member calls the local police and reports the suspicious briefcase.

An officer arrives at the scene and observes a growing crowd of onlookers standing in the lobby, eyeing the briefcase, and carrying on a spirited debate about who might have left it and whether they should be concerned. The building manager arrives and tells the officer that it is probably nothing and asks how long it will take to resolve, Unfortunately, the officer's ensuing actions are dangerously incorrect and the direct result of a preventable lack of proper training.

After cautioning everyone to stand back, the officer approaches the suspicious briefcase and examines it, looking for anything that might provide a clue as to what it contains. Without the proper training, however, the officer really has no idea what he is looking for or what to do if he finds something. After a cursory examination, the officer walks about 20 feet across the lobby and uses his handheld radio to call for a bomb squad. After the officer learns that the nearest bomb squad is 250 miles away and will not be available for at least 4 hours, he informs the building manager who becomes upset and demands that something be done to resolve this major inconvenience. Faced with the distasteful duty of listening to the irritated manager for the next several hours, not to mention agreeing with the manager's assessment that the briefcase probably contains nothing dangerous, the officer decides to take matters into his own hands. He gingerly picks up the briefcase and moves it outside to lessen the inconvenience for the office workers and to make it more accessible to the bomb squad.

Such a scenario should sound somewhat familiar to anyone in the law enforcement community, especially those serving on bomb squads. Variations on this theme happen almost every time someone finds a suspect package, particularly if they find it in an inconvenient location. In this example, the officer safely resolved a potentially dangerous situation; however, without proper training, the officer may not be so successful, or so lucky, with the next suspect package.

TRAINING FIRST-RESPONDING OFFICERS

Today, society demands much from its law enforcement officers. As a result, time for training becomes a premium, constantly competing with the need for officers to remain on the street. Therefore, very few officers ever receive any training on how to identify and react to suspect packages. However, with the increase in dramatic bombings in the United States and abroad over the last few years, most departments should find the time to train their officers in handling such situations. Further, because first-responding patrol officers encounter these packages more often than any other law enforcement member, this lack of training becomes a serious safety issue when these officers suddenly face their first suspect package. Without proper training, these officers and the civilians they attempt to help could become victims of these devices.

However, if first-responding officers have received even the most rudimentary training in basic immediate reactions, they can greatly reduce or eliminate any danger presented by these devices. The fact that officers discover suspect packages that have not detonated prior to their arrival constitutes a victory for law enforcement. At this point, officers armed with basic knowledge about handling suspect packages can initiate an organized, professional response to lessen the danger to themselves and to innocent bystanders. Most important, these informed officers know that no way exists for determining what will detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) until it has been examined. Therefore, their only safe course remains to assume that the device could detonate at any time for any reason.

Hands OFF the Package

The most important rule in handling suspect packages remains: DO NOT TOUCH the package. If at all possible, officers should not approach suspect packages; they should observe them from a distance - the greater the distance the better. Officers should remember that bomb squad personnel, with the benefit of specialized training and equipment, will not approach a suspect package until one of them has donned a bomb suit and helmet, and they have gathered as much initial information as possible. If officers must approach suspect packages, they should try to take the same path as others who may have approached the packages before their arrival. The same caution remains when officers depart the area. Most important, officers should never approach suspect packages solely for taking photographs. While photographs of these packages are valuable to bomb squad members, they rarely receive photographs and, consequently, do not expect them.

Additionally, because suspect packages can prove harmless, contain an actual device, or lure officers into an ambush, officers must remember the "street smarts" and survival tactics that they employ every day in their normal police duties. First responders - law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical workers, and bomb disposal personnel - have been the targets of bomb threats and IEDs in foreign countries for several years. While instances of secondary devices placed specifically to target first responders have not become as common in the United States, officers must remain vigilant to this potential threat whenever they encounter suspect packages.

Clear the Area

In handling potential bomb situations, officers should evacuate the area immediately and ensure that no one reenters. Establishing an initial "exclusion area" of a 300-foot radius constitutes a good rule to follow. Officers can adjust the size of the area, if needed. They should consider the physical size of the package and the surrounding area. For example, a suspicious paper sandwich bag in the empty gun vault of a National Guard Armory may indicate that officers probably could lessen the distance because the package is small and the surrounding area contains little, if any, dangerous material. Conversely, officers encountering a suspicious 24-foot moving van in the center of an urban metropolis should increase the exclusion area appropriately. In this case, such materials as glass from nearby buildings can become incorporated into the blast, creating lethal secondary fragmentation that increases the destructive capability of the IED. Therefore, suspect packages, regardless of their size, found near potentially dangerous materials usually require a larger exclusion area. For example, officers discovering a small suspect package next to a large propane tank obviously should expand the 300-foot exclusion rule. Officers must use their common sense and remain alert to the many variables at the scene of suspect packages.

Moreover, during an evacuation, officers must plan the routes that individuals will use to leave the area. Officers must ensure that escape routes do not bring these individuals close to the device. Also, officers at the scene should request as many additional officers as needed to clear and secure the area. Because these scenes prove highly visible and attract many onlookers, including the media, getting individuals out and keeping them out of these areas remain vital to ensuring their safety.

Alert Emergency Personnel

Along with clearing the area, officers should alert fire and emergency medical personnel. Officers should give these support units explicit instructions on how to approach the scene and where to wait. In case the device detonates, officers must keep these units far enough away so that they do not become incapacitated, yet close enough to respond rapidly. Also, officers and bomb squad members must maintain dependable communication with these personnel, even face-to-face contact, to ensure that all involved services understand the situation. Moreover, until fire and medical emergency personnel arrive, bomb squad members will not approach a suspect package because they may need these services themselves if the device detonates.

Turn Off the Radios

Officers should curtail all radio use within 300 feet of a suspected IED. Because all devices have a fuse, and some employ an electric firing system, using radio transmitters near such a device risks providing it with enough electromagnetic energy to detonate. After bomb squad members conduct an initial reconnaissance, they can provide officers with guidelines about using radios at the scene.

Investigate the Scene

After officers have cleared the area and alerted emergency personnel, they should initiate a preliminary investigation of the scene being careful not to reenter the evacuated area. At this point, the area involved has become a potential crime scene and officers should treat it as such. Patrol officers initiate crime scene investigations every day, and the standard rules apply to the scenes of suspect packages or IEDs. Some measures, however, warrant special mention.

As soon as possible, officers should identify and segregate witnesses and interview individuals who actually saw the device. They should have witnesses describe the suspect package in detail, including sketching the device. Because bomb squad members will want to speak with these individuals, they should stay near the scene. However, officers need to keep all witnesses apart from each other to prevent them from exchanging crucial information. Because every detail, no matter how trivial it may seem, proves vitally important to bomb squad members, officers should maintain the integrity of the eyewitness accounts.

Additional questions officers should ask witnesses include many similar to those they would ask at other crime scenes.

* Has someone recently threatened the area or anyone associated with it?

* Does anyone have a grudge to settle that might manifest itself in such a manner?

* Who found the package? When?

* Has anyone approached the package? If so, by what route?

* Has anyone touched the package?

* Does anyone have any suspects?

* Do any of the suspects identified in the initial investigation have the knowledge to build such a device?

To aid in their examination of suspect packages, bomb squad members will appreciate any information that first-responding officers can obtain. Further, once the squad renders the suspect package safe, investigators conducting the follow-up investigation also will value this initial information, which may provide many of the answers they need.

CONCLUSION

Handling suspect packages remains one of the most hazardous law enforcement duties. Because patrol officers usually are the first to arrive at the scene of these packages, they need adequate training in how to identify and react to these situations.

When dealing with suspect packages, first-responding officers should observe the "assume the worst and hope for the best" rule. If these officers assume the worst and act accordingly, they can reduce the risk of injury or death to themselves and those around them. By employing such safeguards as not approaching the suspect package, clearing the area surrounding it, alerting emergency personnel, not using their radios near the area, and initiating a preliminary investigation of the scene, first-responding officers can resolve these potentially deadly situations effectively and, most important, safely.

Special Agent Fuller serves in the Burlington, Vermont, Resident Agency of the FBI's Albany Division.