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NOVEMBER 26 2013
PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT
CHARLOTTE NC
Rick McCann MS CLEI CAPP
Sworn Law Enforcement-EMT-Firefighter
CEO-Founder
Private Officer International
A developing trend among young people and adults alike is dangerous and even deadly authorities warn.
Garbage Bag Bombs have been found placed in public spaces and some authorities say that this dangerous trend is on the rise.
Just last week a California police officer responding to a suspicious trash bag on a sidewalk poked the bag with an object and was injured when it exploded.
According to Earl Woodham, a Public Information Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, based in North Carolina, this type of explosive device has not been seen in the Carolinas that he was aware of but that the ATF may not have been notified by local police because the Garbage Bag Bombs may not technically meet the definition of a bomb.
Dried Ice Bombs and other crudely made explosive devices have caused disruption, property damage and injuries as recently as last week when a contract employee exploded several ice bombs in a restroom of the Los Angeles International Airport.
West Coast law enforcement say that Garbage Bag Bombs is similar to improvised explosive devices and can be hidden in plain sight among everyday trash or in an aisle of a department store, a food court at a shopping mall or even in the stands of a large sporting event or concert.
One law enforcement alert warns that the innocuous trash bags have caused injuries to responding officers or significant damage to property. Law enforcement officers are encouraged not to touch the light (airy), low-flying, closed trash bags; consider evacuating the immediate area; and, to call the appropriate response personnel.
Using instructions available on the internet, a plastic bag or balloon, and a flammable, intrinsically unstable gas that is relatively easy to acquire, such as acetylene, persons easily can make an improvised explosive device (IED) that can cause serious property damage or injuries. In Colorado, a 46-year-old man was taking a large balloon filled with welding gas, which includes acetylene, to a Super Bowl party. During the drive, the balloon exploded, probably ignited by static generated by the balloon rolling during transit, and blew out all the windows and pushed the roof out approximately 12 inches. The man suffered shrapnel wounds and broken eardrums and is facing a two-to-six-year prison sentence.
In California, a police officer was injured during an investigation of a suspicious device comprised of a smoking plastic bag and a separate second bag, which was flying low on the ground that exploded. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department bomb technicians determined that the device was a trash bag bomb and these devices are becoming very common IED’s.
Propane is another gas that may be used in these bombs because the gas is readily available from grill tanks. While propane can be stored in plastic, time and pressure will cause it to leach out of the bag. Once the concentration of propane is greater than ten percent air, it will no longer ignite. Also, propane requires an ignition source (a flame or spark), a visual cue that should tip off LEO’s and provide the time to respond accordingly.
Directions on the internet as well as videos posted on YouTube provide numerous examples for persons to create trash bag/balloon bombs filled with gases.
Persons can use these bombs as IED’s or incendiary devices that can cause problems and injuries to responding officers.
Officers encountering low-flying trash bags or balloons should avoid touching or piercing the bags, consider evacuating the area, and call appropriate response personnel.
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