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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy 219 Bomb Threats, Explosive Devices and Explosions R ia s OSHKOSH POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TITLE: BOMB THREATS, EXPLOSIVE DEVICES AND POLICY SERIES: 219 EXPLOSIONS Effective Date: November 10, 2010 Date Issued: November 5, 2010 Chief of Police: Scott D. Greuel Date Signed: 11-05-10 (signature on file) CALEA Standard: 46.3.2, 81.2.4 Review Date: June Review By: ASB Lt/PSB Capt Rescinds Policy Dated: May, 2000 SECTION DESCRIPTION 219.01 GENERAL POLICY 219.02 PURPOSE 219.03 DEFINITIONS 219.04 RESPONSIBILITIES 219.05 PROCEDURES - BOMB THREATS 219.06 PROCEDURES - DISCOVERY OF SUSPICIOUS OR EXPLOSIVE DEVICE 219.07 PROCEDURES - REPORT OF SUSPICIOUS ITEMS 219.08 PROCEDURES - EXPLOSIONS 219.09 PROCEDURES - FIREWORKS 219.10 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS APPENDIX A BOMB THREAT FORM 1 219.01 GENERAL POLICY The discovery of explosive materials, suspicious devices, and the making of bomb threats is a serious situation which threatens the safety and welfare of the community and members of the Department. It is the policy of the Oshkosh Police Department to thoroughly investigate these incidents and take appropriate steps to mitigate any threat related to it. While the vast majority of bomb threats are not carried out and most suspicious packages are not explosive devices, the Department will not take these situations lightly. If any officer believes that an item may be an explosive device the situation will be handled following the guidelines set forth in this policy. 219.02 PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for officers in the investigation of bomb threats, the discovery of explosive materials or suspected explosive devices, and management of explosion crime scenes. 219.03 DEFINITIONS A. BOMB THREATS - The intentional notification that there is an explosive device at a specific location. This notification may occur in oral or written form. The threat may be made to persons at the target location, to the Oshkosh Police Department, or to a third parry. This threat will be considered valid until proven otherwise through investigation. B. EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL- Any chemical, compound, or other material that may pose a threat of explosion based on its characteristics,packaging, or intended use. Low Explosives burn or deflagrate and create smoke, light, heat, and sound. Examples include fireworks and black/smokeless powder. High Explosives detonate and yield an instantaneous release of super heated gases. Examples include dynamite, C-4, and TNT. C. EXPLOSIVE DEVICE- Any object which is designed or manufactured, either commercially or non-commercially, to produce an explosion. Examples include dynamite, blasting caps,pipe bombs, letter bombs, military explosives, grenades and artillery rounds, Molotov cocktails, McGyver bombs, and illegal fireworks. D. EOD UNIT - Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. Specially trained and equipped law enforcement units tasked with the safe handling and disposal of explosives and explosive devices. 2 219.04 RESPONSIBILITIES The preliminary investigation of bomb threats shall be conducted by officers of the Patrol Services Bureau. Follow-up investigation will be conducted by the Investigative Services Bureau when necessary. The discovery of a suspected explosive device or any explosion resulting from a suspected explosive device shall be considered a Major Crime Scene. A supervisor from the Investigative Services Bureau shall be immediately notified of the situation and Detectives assigned as necessary. 219.05 PROCEDURES: BOMB THREATS Upon receipt of a bomb threat, or information that a bomb threat has been received by the target location, Dispatchers/Telecommunications officers shall: 1. Complete the information on the Bomb Threat Form (Appendix A) and forward it to the Investigative Services Bureau Captain. 2. Dispatch a minimum of two (2) officers and provide them with all known information related to the threat. 3. Notify the Shift Commander and Fire Department Duty Chief. 4. If the report is received through the Winnebago E911 Communications Center the number should be locked in for verification. 5. Notify all personnel to discontinue radio transmissions in the area of the threat until further notice. On arrival at the scene, the first responding officer(s) shall: 1. Assume Incident Command of the situation. 2. Alert those persons responsible for the location about the bomb threat and gather any pertinent information. 3. Attempt to contact the owner or manager if the building is unoccupied. 4. Establish telephone communications with dispatch. Officers shall not use squad radios,portable radios, or cell phones until a safe perimeter has been established around the affected area, 5. Interview the complainant, witnesses, and victims regarding the bomb threat. Officers should attempt to identify or document everyone who is present when 3 officers arrived on scene. 6. Conduct a bomb threat assessment. Officers should ask pertinent questions when conducting a bomb threat assessment, such as: a. Has anyone made any threats against you or any of your employees? b. Is there a labor dispute in progress? C. Has anyone recently been fired? These questions, and others, are designed to alert the officer and victim that there may be an increased threat due to unusual circumstances. A bomb threat assessment is intended to help the officer and the victim decide on a course of action to take in response to the threat. 7. Determine whether or not the business/building has a Bomb Threat Plan, and if it is going to be activated. 8. Recommend evacuation at the discretion of the building's owner/manager. The Police Department cannot force an evacuation unless a suspected explosive device is discovered. 9. Recommend a search of the location. The search should be conducted by persons familiar with the location and its normal activities, such as employees or residents. Officers may assist in a search, but officers are not authorized to conduct a search on their own, unless exigent circumstances exist. The purpose of a search is to locate suspicious items since explosive devices can be disguised as many different things. Searchers should be instructed to look for any item which appears out of the ordinary, either because of its appearance or location. Searchers should be instructed not to touch or disrupt any suspicious item. They should immediately report its discovery and location to the investigating officer. 10. If no device is located, or the owner/manager decides not to search or evacuate, the officer should complete the initial investigation. If the business/building has any forms or other documentation related to bomb threat incidents used by its employees the investigating officer should request copies of that documentation and place them in evidence. 4 219.06 PROCEDURES: DISCOVERY OF A SUSPICIOUS ITEM OR EXPLOSIVE DEVICE When any suspicious item is discovered during a search following a bomb threat, the investigating officer shall: 1) Immediately cease all search operations. 2) Obtain a thorough description of the item and its location, including; size, shape, condition of item and packaging, surroundings, exact location, odors or sounds present, and whether or not it has been handled or moved, and by whom. The safety of officers and others will not be jeopardized to obtain any of the information listed in this section. 3) Restrict access to the location of the device. 4) Establish a perimeter of 100 yds in all directions for items that can be hand carried. The use of shielding should also be considered for further protection to those in the area. If the officer can see the device from longer distances a larger perimeter should be considered due to the danger. If the device is: a) a car the distance should be a minimum of 500 yds b) a truck the distance should be a minimum of 750 yds c) a semi the distance should be a minimum of 2500 yds. 5) Evacuate the area within the perimeter. The potential for a person inside the perimeter to inadvertently trigger the device constitutes a serious risk and justifies a mandatory evacuation. The discovery of a suspected explosive device means that the incident is now a Major Crime Scene. Officers have the same authority to control access to this type of area as they would at any other crime scene. Persons who are being evacuated should be told to not use cell phones or remote control devices such as vehicle remote entry systems. Persons who are evacuated should be prepared for the possibility they may not be able to return to the affected location for the day. They should be instructed to take their vehicle keys, coats, etc with them when they leave provided it can be done quickly and safely. Officers should ensure that areas to be used as evacuation routes have been checked for the possibility of secondary devices. Under no circumstance should people be evacuated by having them moving past a suspected device. 6) Establish a command post outside of the perimeter. 7) Notify the shift commander by telephone and provide the following information: 5 a) Reasons why the item is believed to be an explosive device. b) Actions taken by the investigating officer. c) Location of the command post. d) Safe approach route for responding units. e) Status of the evacuation process. f) Description of the suspected device. After being notified by the investigating officer, the Shift Commander shall: 1) Notify the Oshkosh Fire Department Duty Chief. 2) Ensure that the appropriate EOD unit is requested and is responding. a) Brown County Sheriff's Dept. b) Milwaukee County Sheriff Department, 3) Notify an ISB supervisor. 4) Notify the Chief of Police of the situation. 5) Notify the next in command of the situation. 6) Respond to the command post. The shift commander shall assume incident command of the scene upon arrival and ensure that sufficient resources are available to handle the incident as a Major Crime Scene. These resources include officers, detectives, supervisors, barricades, PIO, etc. The Incident Commander should be aware of the media response and reference Policy 105 Public Information for guidance. They should also consider designating a media area close to the scene to ensure the media is at a sufficient distance to avoid triggering the device by using their equipment to broadcast from the scene. The Incident Commander shall coordinate with the EOD Unit commander upon arrival of the EOD Unit. This coordination should also include the ISB supervisor. If an explosion occurs the scene shall be processed by personnel of the Investigative Services Bureau. and managed by the highest ranking person available from the Investigative Services Bureau. This will be done in cooperation with the EOD Unit and other agencies as deemed appropriate by the ISB supervisor. 6 219.07 PROCEDURES: REPORT OF SUSPICIOUS ITEMS A bomb threat assessment must be conducted by the investigating officer whenever a citizen reports, or an officer discovers, a suspicious item that may be an explosive device. This assessment should identify why the person believes the suspicious item is an explosive device. When the officer reasonably believes that the item may be an explosive device, he/she should act according to procedures outlined in this policy. If the item was delivered to the target location by United States Postal Service or other delivery service there are several points of recognition that may indicate the presence of a parcel or letter bomb. These include: 1. Foreign mail, Air Mail, and Special Delivery 2. Restrictive markings such as Confidential, Personal, etc. 3. Excessive postage 4. Handwritten or poorly typed addresses 5. Incorrect titles 6. Titles, but no names 7. Misspelling of common words 8. Oily stains or discolorations 9. No return address 10. Excessive weight 11. Rigid packaging 12. Protruding wires or tinfoil 13. Excessive packaging such as string, tape, etc. 14. Visual distractions These points of recognition are in addition to other indicators such as suspicious activity or labor disputes related to the target location. 219.08 PROCEDURES: EXPLOSIONS When an explosion occurs that is believed to be the result of an explosive device, officers will respond in the following manner: 1. Officers should be aware of the possibility of a secondary device which may be targeting emergency responders 2. Responding officers should immediately establish a perimeter by finding the farthest piece of blast debris or damage (X) from the detonation site (D) and adding on half of that distance to come up with the perimeter distance (Y). (Measure D to X, add 1/z half of that distance to it and get Y for Perimeter.) 7 Perimeter 00 Perimeter Farthest Detonation Perimeter (Y) Debris Site (D) (Y) N ......................................................... Perimeter (Y) 3. No one will be permitted to enter an area where an explosion has occurred until the EOD Unit has rendered it safe and eliminated the possibility of a secondary device. 4. If injured persons are inside the perimeter area reasonable attempts may be made to rescue them. However, officers should not unnecessarily endanger themselves by entering an unknown environment. The possibility of secondary devices, toxic gases, and other byproducts of the explosion may pose an unseen risk to officers. 5. If a decision is made to enter the area to rescue victims, they should be removed from the inner perimeter area as quickly as possible, and provided with emergency medical attention. Officers should consider the use of breathing apparatus, ballistic shields, and other equipment to minimize the risk if an entry to the area is made. 8 219.09 PROCEDURES: ILLEGAL FIREWORKS The presence of illegal fireworks in the community poses a unique problem for Police Officers. While many officers think of firecrackers, bottle rockets, and similar items as common fireworks, they are by definition explosive devices and can be dangerous. Illegal fireworks, which in the opinion of the investigating officer can be safely handled, should be confiscated and processed following the directions in the Department Evidence Manual. Officers should remember that fireworks may be set off by spark, heat, friction, or static electricity. Reasonable safety precautions should be taken when handling and transporting these items. Factors that should be considered by officers when determining whether or not fireworks should be treated as explosive devices include: 1. The size of the item. It is suggested that any item larger than an M-80 be considered an explosive device. 2. The number of items. A large number of small fireworks may constitute one large device. 3. The condition of the items. Any items which appear to be tampered with, homemade, damaged, or in any condition that would render them unstable or dangerous, should be considered explosive devices. 219.10 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Officers should be aware of the possibility of Victim Initiated Devices, commonly known as booby traps, when executing search warrants or conducting other investigations. Information regarding the type of activity or the persons involved may lead officers to suspect that a location is fortified by such devices. Any officer encountering a possible victim initiated device should safely exit the area and begin the Discovery of Explosive Device Protocol as documented in 219.06. Officers should also be aware of the chemicals and compounds used in clandestine drug labs. These items can be very volatile and dangerous and may qualify as explosive materials. Officers involved in the investigation of these activities should seek assistance from other agencies with knowledge and experience in this area. Such an area should be treated as a Hazardous Materials situation unless an explosive device is present. 9