The Phoenix Police Department Bomb Squad

The Phoenix Police Department Bomb Squad was created in 1972. The impetus for its creation was a bombing that occurred in the Camelback Corridor in 1970. At the time, the Police Department did not have any bomb technicians, so investigators from the General Investigations Bureau responded to the scene. They immediately recognized that they couldn’t establish the corpus of the crime so they sought assistance from two Patrol officers who had prior explosive ordnance disposal training from the military. The two officers, Bob Horath and George LaBash, assisted the GIB detectives with the investigation and determined that pipe bombs containing black powder were used in this bombing. Approximately two months later, the officers were transferred to the General Investigations Bureau and worked bombing cases, bomb threats, burglary cases and related property crimes. In 1972, the Bomb Squad was officially created and increased to six detectives. The squad investigated bombings, bomb threats, and malicious mischief/criminal damage offenses.

The makeup of the squad has remained virtually the same for the past 30 years. The only exception occurred back in 1996, when the squad anticipated several retirements of senior technicians and the Police Department allowed the squad to be overfilled, pending these retirements. The overfilling was requested due to the delay in getting the new detectives certified through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hazardous Devices School . The FBI certifies all law enforcement bomb technicians in the United States and they have determined that it takes approximately three years for a new technician to become proficient in this highly specialized field. A selection process was conducted for new technicians and a list was created. Five new bomb technicians were transferred to the squad, drawing from various work units at the South Resource Bureau, and the technicians applied to HDS and began a training program with a senior bomb technician.

Currently the squad is staffed with eight detectives and a sergeant. The job responsibilities of the Bomb Squad detectives have changed significantly since the squad’s inception. The Bomb Squad investigates all bomb-related investigations; actual bombings, suspicious devices, bomb threats and performs the necessary render-safe procedure on any found device to make the scene safe. This responsibility includes providing safe storage for explosives that are held for evidence, found and safekeeping. Additionally, the squad provides technical support to special operations, such as assisting the Special Assignments Unit on a barricaded suspect incident or conducting a bomb search for dignitaries. The squad also conducts training on bomb threat procedures for various businesses in the City, in an effort to use proactive measures to reduce future calls for service.