Device found in Norfolk rental truck was training aid

Posted to: News Norfolk
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By Cindy Clayton
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 17, 2009

NORFOLK

Little Creek Road is being reopened after being blocked by police because of possible explosive device found on a rental truck, police said.

A man at a company in the 900 block of W. Little Creek called police about 9:45 a.m. to report that a truck that had been rented by the Navy had been returned and an item that looked like dynamite was left inside, said Chris Amos, police spokesman.

Fire investigators found the device to be a training aid, Amos said.

The road was being reopened shortly after 11 a.m.

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arm-chair explosive experts

Submitted by RicM25798 on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 12:21 pm.

Training aids are often designed to look real. It goes back to the military mantra of “train like you fight, fight like you train”. The minute you treat anything that resembles an explosive device as fake or a training device, the effectiveness of the training is lost, or you think the training device is fake and you suddenly lose lives when it turns out to be real. Besides, if you read the article, the police never stated it was real or otherwise – they simply did what their training dictated: secure the area, protect lives, and notify the experts.

Who’s to say with any certainty that something like this wasn’t a training situation to see how well city officials respond? My hat’s off to the rental truck employee and the Norfolk police and fire personnel!

Genius

Submitted by bretticus on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 12:21 pm.

Why didn't they just call the Navy..?

Dumb

Submitted by VBLOCAL74 on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 10:50 am.

Hey Logic Dictates, why dont you stick your nose in the back of a truck with an unknown device.

now thats funny...

Submitted by Logic-dictates on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 10:43 am.

Good to know our police can't tell what a road flare looks like!!

Really?

Submitted by RicM25798 on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 12:23 pm.

So you were there and saw the device? And you spoke to a police officer that said he/she saw it and that it was real? C'mon.

High-explosive hidden as a flare

Submitted by petera38648 on Thu, 09/17/2009 at 12:03 pm.

And when you pick up that pressure-fused stick of high explosive disguised as "road flare" people, I'll be the first to submit my letter of recommendation on your behalf for the Darwin Award. On the other hand, I'm not in a position to argue with you either, since I haven't seen a picture with this article that gives anyone an idea of the nature of this dummy explosive. Maybe you should take comfort in the fact that EOD and bomb techs practice with props so realistic, they can be mistaken for the real thing. Maybe it's to the credit of those that risk their lives to save ours that they were able to determine this was not a real explosive to begin with, but eager and prepared to deal with it appropriately in the event this was real.