Owensboro Bomb Squad

When you think bomb squad, you think of spy and action movies. The Owensboro police department demonstrated today that working with explosive devices isnt all that glamorous. The Owensboro bomb squad set up a series of explosions to show first responders what to expect when they call in the bomb squad. That explosion is not an example of what a bomb squad may face, but rather a tool it can use. In this case dynamite blew open the trunk of a car so the squad could send in a robot to search for dangerous materials. Channce Dawdy is with the Owensboro bomb squad. He says squads and first responders from all over the Tri-state came to watch and learn. "Shows some of the different ways we do our job, whos involved in decision making so they have an idea where were coming from when we ask for a safe standoff distance or a neighborhood evacuation." Sergeant William Gilbert is with the Paducah bomb squad. He says this is also an exercise to clear up a few myths. "When we come out, people think everything is going to be destroyed, as you can see from some of the explosions today theyre not quite as large as you might think." Still, these explosions are impressive. But, gilbert says these are small in comparison with what could happen if the bomb squad left well enough alone. He says old explosives -- the kind you used to be able to buy at a hardware store -- are dangerous because people underestimate their power. He says dont be afraid to call in the bomb squad if you find anything like that laying around. Another situation bomb squads face is the availability of these explosives on the Internet. If you are over eighteen and you have a credit card, you can get twenty pounds of dynamite for 180-dollars. Use of explosives to cause harm or injury means anywhere from a class three felony all the way to murder in the first degree if someone gets killed.