The new Westshore Enforcement Bureau bomb robot carefully approaches what appears to be a bundle of dynamite below a van in Rocky River. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

It’s bombs away with robot
ByJennifer Mitchell
City
Published Aug. 23, 2006

A suspicious-looking package was discovered underneath a blue van outside of the Rocky River Civic Center Thursday. Luckily, the seven-member Westshore Enforcement Bureau bomb squad was on hand to deal with it.

Using a brand-new $70,000 piece of equipment, the bomb squad was able to assess the situation from much farther than an arm’s length away.

From inside the civic center, Senior Bomb Technician Kenneth Thompson, a patrolman with the Rocky River Police Department, used a remote control to drive a high-tech robot outside the center and up to the van. Equipped with four cameras providing various angles, Thompson discovered what was beneath.

It appeared to be a bundle of dynamite with batteries attached to the top.

Thompson began slowly maneuvering the robot closer to the device.

“If that thing detonates, it’s going to cause a big problem, and I am going to have to explain to the mayor why I just ruined her multimillion dollar building,” Thompson said.

Standing behind the new Westshore Enforcement Bureau bomb robot are mayors Eileen Patton of Fairview Park, Pam Bobst of Rocky River, Dennis Clough og Westlake, Deborah Sutherland of Bay Village, Thomas O'Grady of North Olmsted and Thomas George of Lakewood. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

He was referring to Mayor Pamela Bobst, who was in the room, along with mayors and police chiefs representing the entire Westshore Enforcement Bureau: Bay Village Mayor Deborah Sutherland and Police Chief David Wright; Fairview Park Mayor Eileen Patton and Police Chief Patrick Nealon; Lakewood Mayor Thomas George and Police Chief Timothy Malley; North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O’Grady and Capt. Kevin Whelan, standing in for Police Chief George Ruple; Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough and Police Chief Richard Walling.

The mayors watched the robot’s actions, projected on a television screen. Slightly jerky, the machines claws slowly separated and picked up the bomb.

Nothing happened.

“Say that thing just detonated,” Thompson said. “It’d be lights out and we’d be planning the funeral of a bomb technician. Because it was simulated, it didn’t blow.”

The exercise was solely for demonstration purposes, to highlight the department’s new bomb robot. Ohio Homeland Security presented the machine to the six-city safety team. Ken Morckel, Ohio Department of Public Safety director, and some of his staff members also were on hand for the unveiling. Federal law will require all bomb squads in the country to have a similar robot by 2009.

Had the bomb scare been real, Thompson said the robot would have allowed for safe removal of the device. An operator could move it away from people and buildings and detonate in a remote place. In a worst-case scenario, the bomb could blow up at the robot’s touch. While it may be $70,000 worth of destruction, a human life would still be saved, Thompson said.

“It’s better the robot than somebody else,” he added.

As Thompson wrapped up the demonstration, the robot made its way back into the civic center, holding the inert bomb, and rolled down the aisle toward Thompson. It came to a halt in front of the audience, and, instead of the boom of an explosion, the experiment concluded with a loud round of applause.

Morckel complemented the various city officials and employees gathered for the occasion and said the collaboration by the six mayors was essential in obtaining the robot, as well as several other safety devices worth tens of thousands of dollars — items individual cities could never afford on their own.

Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina both highlighted the necessity of regional cooperation, Morckel said, explaining that dealing with such disasters can’t be done alone. He cited WEB and the officials behind it as a perfect example of the success of such cooperation.

Buying such equipment and training people to use it is the easy part, the state public safety director said. It’s getting the local politicians on the same page that’s the hard part. On the Westshore, public officials are already there, he said.

“After we get that, the sky’s the limit,” Morckel said.