It takes highly specialized and trained officers to investigate crimes of terror like the Boston Marathon Bombings.
This week the FBI conducted a week-long training academy in Preston, Connecticut on the campus of the former Norwich State Hospital.
The demonstrations were set up in a large yard outside the former hospital. More than a dozen loud explosions reverbed, one by one, as the instructor explained the chemical ingredients and makeup of each.
From a large tire sent flying in the air, to an uncooked chicken blown to pieces by explosives, each demonstration aimed to show different impacts of bombs at crime scenes.
Chief Thomas Casey is the fire chief and marshal of the Preston Fire Department.
“In the world that we live in today, it’s helpful to learn how to process the scenes,” said Casey. “How to investigate a blast when it does, God forbid, occur.”
Casey and his team were responsible for making sure the demonstrations, which used pounds of black powder and liquids like nitromethane and helix, were executed safely. One of the explosions vibrated the scene so much it set off the security alarm of a car in a distant parking lot.
Some firefighters in Chief Casey’s unit have also completed this rigorous training and instruction – lessons that go far beyond every day crime scene analysis. In fact, students are required to do more than simply investigate post-blast crime scenes. They must also reach probable cause for an arrest or search warrant that would potentially lead to a prosecution. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office assist in making sure that students’ conclusions are applicable in real judicial settings.
Many of the participants have previously been certified through this training program, but the FBI encourages officers to take a refresher course every few years to sharpen their skills and become familiar with new technology. In all, 62 officers from Connecticut State and local police, the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Protective Service, and other agencies attended.
Preston, Connecticut sits almost 100 miles from Boston. Chief Casey feels this annual training exercise was just as relevant before the marathon bombings as it is after.
“It was significant during Boston, before Boston, after Boston, and it will [continue to] be for our lifetimes anyway,” he said.
Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
