Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

July 24, 2008 issue


Question Around the Office

Why Doesn’t Boone Have A Bomb Squad?

Researched by Sam Calhoun

A bomb squad from Wilkes County responded to the live bomb incident at the Boone Wal-Mart on Sunday and we wondered why the Boone Police Department does not have its own bomb squad.

According to Boone Police Captain Curtis Main, the Wilkes County Bomb Squad is a Federal Bureau of Investigation-trained unit that is funded by the federal government and acts as the response team for a 10-county area, including Watauga County. Bomb squads, said Main, are costly, and squad personnel require a lot of training and specialized expertise, so the federal government trains and certifies bomb squads to cover large regions.

“Otherwise it would be a duplication of services [if Boone had a bomb squad and the Wilkes County Bomb Squad was already assigned to the Boone area],” said Main.

According to Main, the Wilkes County Bomb Squad responded to the Boone Wal-Mart on Sunday in under one hour.