MASON CITY — A possible explosive device found near railroad tracks on Ninth Street Northwest on Monday has been turned over to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Sgt. Greg Scott of the Mason City Police Department said the device, which he declined to describe, was spotted by a railroad employee about 11:50 a.m. Monday in a city parking area between the sidewalk and the street in the 600 block of Ninth Street Northwest.
Scott said the Police Department turned the device over to David Schipper with the State Fire Marshal’s office.
No other information about the possible exposive device is available at this time.
Hmm, no BATF or FBI, and no mention of a Bomb Squad, either MC Police are a little reckless or they were more sure it wasn’t really a bomb than the story makes it sound.
I assure you, they are NOT reckless. Bomb squad? They are 120 miles away in Des Moines. BATF? They might have people in Minneapolis, 130 miles away. Cedar Rapids 143 miles away may have bomb experts, they do have an FBI office.
It is up to MCPD and MCFD to determine if it was dangerous or not.
So, everytime a railroad employee stumbles upon a fusee or torpedo he should start shrieking for the bomb squad?
The fact that it was " turned over" to another agency tells the tale. If there was a real danger it should have been dealt with then and there. Or maybe ther is an epidemic of stupidity in Mason City.
You do not know what exactly the conductor saw, and what it was in reality. Have you seen the training they must go through? The conductor went through channels. He did his job as he was instructed.
You assume too much. And as our training said, assume nothing.
Class As or any other for that matter still used torpedos
or
That rairoad employess din’t know what fusee is.
He said that if a railway employee started this ruckus over common railway items ( and yes torpedos can still be found frequently) that they should be fired. And they should.
As far as the article being of any consequence , picture this conversation:
Fire Marshalls Office?
Hey David I got something for you. Looks like it could blow up any second!
This is rural Iowa, where you going to find a bomb expert? Or the BATF?
And I am telling you now, we do not use torpedos any more, have not for years. According to the mechanics here, torpedos have been long gone, even on foreign units.
Again, how are you sure these were common railroad items the conductor saw? Are you privey to the investigation? Please inform the Globe Gazette.
Zugman, you prove my point. Torpedoes and fusees, whether in common use or not, are still to be found on all roads. They are not a reason to play Chicken little and call the bomb squad. And if there are no experts in explosive devices available, do you pass it around until you find one?