From the Vault: POLICE Magazine featured the article, "Why I Joined the Bomb Squad," in its September 2008 issue and the topic is just as relevant today. Mexican drug cartels have used car bombs in Juarez , and San Diego deputies supervised the burning of a "bomb factory" house in December. Joining an agency's bomb squad is a career path most people, even cops, consider crazy. Det. Dave Scraggs explains his reason — the threat is prevalent. Photos courtesy of Det. Scraggs.
Joining the Bomb Squad
It's frightening how easy it is for the bad guys to obtain the components for making high explosives. A lot of them are available at grocery, hardware, and beauty supply stores.
Bomb techs in training work a problem.
The road toward becoming a bomb technician can be a long one, mostly due to the lack of openings at agencies.
The mantra of today's bomb squads is to check out the package remotely. Here, a Remotec F6A robot goes hands-on with the bomb.
At Huntsville, bomb techs learn the methods for making high explosives such as cooling MEKP in an ice bath.
Model of a typical homemade bomb.
Det. David Spraggs of the Boulder (Colo.) PD dons a 90-pound bomb suit. Det. Spraggs is a major crimes detective and certified bomb tech.
A shaped water charge detonates under the trunk of a training car to disable a bomb in the trunk.