Big Bangs in Riverside

Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)-Rocky Mountain, in cooperation with the Riverside Police Department, the 10-day event was intended to prepare participants to train other technicians in their agencies in the new tools and techniques. Although much of the technology used during the conference is still classified, an explosives engineer at SNL estimates that most of it will become available to bomb squads over the next several months. The general trend will be toward using "smart" bomb disablement systems that will not only keep bomb squads at safe distances, but will enable technicians to make split-second decisions. When interviewed, a number of conference participants noted the realism of the training environment during Operation Riverside; and they became familiar with several new techniques and technology applications that they intend to implement in their agencies' programs. NIJ's support for such conferences encourages advances in technology and their applications to making bomb squads' work safer.