Bomb Squad Prepares For The Worst During Papal Visit In Montgomery County

A previous version of this article appeared in Patch on August 13.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Unit is preparing for the Papal visit in September with thorough training exercises, according to a press release on Wednesday.

Sheriff Russell Bono’s team worked in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office Detective Bureau and Arcadia University for the exercises, the sheriff’s office said.

“Our Bomb Unit covers a large territory – Montgomery, Bucks and Chester Counties,” Bono said. “So preparation is critical. If we make a mistake, we want to make it here,” said Bono. “My job is to make sure they are well trained and are safe.”

The training scenario included the discovery a suspicious package in a crowd on the corner of City and Belmont Avenues in Philadelphia.

Detectives were called to investigate the scene and evidence led officials to a “Crime Scene House” where the faux-suspect was located.

Booby traps including pipe bombs and other explosives were hidden around the house, under a doormat, and in a pile of leaves.

Bomb Unit Dep. Andrew Noto helped set up the traps and observed the training said this is a great way to step back and review what was done, and to plan for improvements in preparation for real-life scenarios, per the sheriff’s office.

Megan Boll, a technician at NMS Labs, worked with bomb units on hand to explain research results from the day, and how the results could help inform best practices to prepare for similar events during the Papal visit.