Peoria Police Department Bomb Squad Receives Re-Accreditation

Stuart R. McArthur, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield Division, announced today the re-accreditation of the Peoria Police Department Bomb Squad. The squad is one of 470 nationally accredited public safety bomb squads in the United States and one of 12 squads in the State of Illinois.

The accreditation is provided by the FBI’s Hazardous Device Operations Center (HDOC) in Quantico, Virginia. This unit provides the training and oversight for all of the accredited bomb squads in the United States. HDOC funds the training and certifies all bomb technical intelligence sharing and provides equipment and resources to local jurisdictions to enhance their capability to respond to bombing incidents and terrorist threats involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs). All of the Peoria Police Department Bomb Squad bomb technicians are nationally certified to standards promulgated by the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB) and are thereafter certified by the FBI. All bomb technicians are required to re-certify every three years at the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School (HDS) located on Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama. The bomb squad accreditation is valid for a period of five years and verifies that bomb squad safety equipment, such as state-of-the-art robots and X-Ray systems, are in their equipment inventory and that there are certified technicians available for bomb response.

The Springfield Division of the FBI has formed a partnership with several law enforcement agencies within Central and Southern Illinois, to enhance the multi-jurisdictional response capability of Illinois Bomb Squads. As society becomes more global, the threats facing our communities are less restricted by jurisdictional boundaries. Law enforcement must be proactive in maintaining the ability to counter those threats.

In an effort to enhance public safety and our ability to respond to threats posed by IEDs, and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the FBI joined forces, in 2006, with the Peoria Police Department Bomb Squad. Illinois law enforcement agencies who participate in this partnership include:

• FBI Springfield Division;
• Illinois Secretary of State Police Bomb Squad;
• Peoria Police Bomb Squad:
• Quad Cities Bomb Squad;
• SIUC and the Carbondale Police Department Bomb Squad;
• University of Illinois/Champaign Police Bomb Squad.

By sharing resources, expertise, and training opportunities, law enforcement in Illinois will be better equipped to respond efficiently and effectively to WMD threats. The Springfield FBI field office appreciates the partnership of the Peoria Police and congratulates the department on the re-accreditation of its bomb squad.

From left to right: John Williams, Shannon H. Walden, Chief Steven M. Settingsgaard
(Chief of  the Peoria Police Department), Lieutenant David L. Roger (Bomb Squad Commander),
and Stuart R. McArthur, Special Agent in Charge of the Springfield Division of the FBI.