EOD, FBI 'blast' into Edwards' classroom

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Francesca Carrano
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  While battling sand storms and winds in excess of 25 mph, 55 people and one four-legged "investigator" combed a 50-foot desert area on Edwards searching for evidence that could lead them to the cause of a large vehicle explosion at the Precision Impact Range Area.

Working along side the FBI, Edwards hosted its sixth annual Large Vehicle Bomb Post Blast Crime Scene course Monday through today.

While Edwards began hosting the course in April of 2001, this is actually the 81st class sponsored by the FBI.

Military explosive ordnance disposal members from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps joined with special agents from the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and various law enforcement agencies from around the country to learn how to collect evidence following a large vehicle explosion and how to protect that evidence from contamination, said Tech. Sgt. David Larriva, 95th Air Base Wing EOD division flight chief.

The five-day course follows a large vehicle blast from the conception and building of the bomb to presenting any evidence found to a prosecutor during a mock trial.

"Students spend the first two days engrossed in classroom-based instruction, learning the details of investigating and processing a large post-blast crime scene," Sergeant Larriva said.

The students also learned evidence gathering techniques, assembled their teams and gave out assignments, he said.

"While the students spent time in the classroom, [Edwards' EOD] and 10 bomb technicians from around the country set up the large-vehicle detonation scenario and detonated the bombs," said Senior Airman Patrick Hodgkiss, 95th ABW EOD.

Every member of the teaching team has attended one of the previous classes -- many were in the first few classes held.

For the scenarios, the team used 1,700 pounds of HMX -- an explosive one-and-a-half times as powerful as TNT -- to blowup a bus, which was intended to "target" a dignitary; a van, which was designed to "target" the first responders on-scene; and a small car, located about 10 feet from the bus destroyed as collateral damage, Sergeant Larriva said.

"Many of the bomb technicians attending this class have never seen a blast of this magnitude," said William Jache, San Diego Sheriff's Department detective and Navy EOD reservist. "This blast is larger than the Oklahoma City bombing. We do all of this so that if something like this were to happen in reality, our people would know what to do, get their job done and get a conviction."

The students didn't have the opportunity to see the actual detonation. Instead, the first time they saw the post blast was Wednesday when they were moved out to the crime scene to collect data and reconstruct the entire crime from the charred wreckage.

"The students had to use the techniques they learned in the classroom to find out what types of vehicles were involved with the explosion, how much explosives were used and collect enough evidence to prove some type of malicious intent," said Staff Sgt. Nicolas Last, 95th ABW EOD.

Mr. Jache explained that one of the most important pieces of information the teams could gather would be to find or reconstruct the timed power unit.

"A TPU is what actually makes the bomb go 'bang,'" Mr. Jache said. "This is the key element to solving a post-blast crime."

Thursday the students compiled the information they collected and put together a presentation to present their case to a guest district attorney, today.

"Following the students' presentations, the visiting DA will be able to tell the students what they did right, wrong and where they could have improved," Sergeant Last said.

More than half of this year's class was military members who could be deploying in support of the Global War on Terror in the near future, said Kevin Miles, Los Angeles field office FBI special agent bomb technician, who founded and coordinates all the courses.

"As military members we use this class to train for Iraq and other deployments," Sergeant Last said. "Many times we have 30 minutes or less to get in, investigate a vehicle blast and get out before the insurgents return."

In deployed locations EOD members use post-blast investigations to provide their command with intelligence on new trends and techniques used by insurgents to better defend the troops against similar blasts, Sergeant Last said.

Sergeant Larriva agreed by saying," Unless you've been in Iraq or in a scenario like this, a lot of folks have never seen what a large-vehicle bomb would do and how the evidence would look. The whole purpose of this class is to show that there is no such thing as disintegrated evidence -- it's a pretty amazing thing."

Film crews videoed the entire process -- from the building of the bomb and TPU to the actual detonation. At the conclusion of the class, students will have the opportunity to review the footage and see what they did right and wrong.

"This class gives us the chance to train as post blast investigators," said Senior Airman Charles Lamely, 95th ABW EOD and course participant. "We have to be able to figure out who did it, what they used and why. This course teaches us what to look for, the 'why and how,' to not only find the guy, but to ensure justice."