Why and when is Explosives Analysis used?
A bomb squad may be called in to investigate a variety of situations, from a backpack left on a street corner to a bomb threat called in on a public building or workplace. The number one job of bomb technicians is to identify potential threats and render them safe. Bomb squad personnel can determine the type of explosive and the scope of the threat. This information may also help law enforcement determine whether a circumstance is a coordinated terrorist threat or an isolated incident.
During the aftermath of the shooting in Aurora, CO, the bomb squad had to deal with the shooter’s intricately booby-trapped apartment. After several days of examining the scene, technicians safely extracted 30 home-made IEDs from the apartment. Water was used to disable a control box, then the bombs were carted out in buckets of sand, and brought into an unpopulated area where they were detonated. The shooter had set the bombs to explode via a series of trip wires when someone opened the door of the apartment.
While high-profile incidents such as the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, or the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013 receive widespread attention, the majority of explosives incidents involve residential properties, mailboxes and vehicles.2 Vandalism and revenge are the most frequent motives cited for these acts.
A key goal of an explosives investigation is to determine whether the explosion was an accident or was set off deliberately with criminal intent. In addition, explosives analysis often provides key information during an arson investigation.
2 A Guide for Explosion and Bombing Scene Investigation, National Institute of Justice, June 2000.