ATF HOSTS BOMB SQUAD COMMANDERS CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has hosted bomb squad commanders from across the United States and their counterparts from Colombia, Brazil, Britain, Germany, Mexico and Spain to a conference designed to increase information and intelligence sharing in the explosives enforcement community.

The Sept. 16-17 conference gave some 150 attending commanders, forensic scientists and technicians, who include some of the world’s leading investigators of bombings and other explosives incidents, the opportunity to discuss cooperation, communications and the flow of information among their agencies, countries and the rest of the law enforcement community.

“The important work you do puts your agencies on the front line in the fight against violent crime and terrorism,” ATF Director Carl J. Truscott said in welcoming the group. “Everything you do to expand cooperation and improve information and intelligence sharing will help make our countries and the world safer.”

“Interacting with our federal partners is an integral part of the effort to counter the criminal use of explosives and fight terrorism,” said Stan Mathiasen, chairman of the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board.

“On behalf of our membership, we applaud the Attorney General’s office and its recent efforts to bring federal agencies together in the sharing of information. The need for this agenda has been a long time in coming. We hope to see the new reporting system in place and in use in real time,” said Barney T. Villa, international director of the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI).

The conference, organized by ATF’s Arson and Explosives National Repository Branch, part of the Bureau’s Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information, considered how to expand the use of ATF’s information systems, technology and explosives investigative resources.

Congress has entrusted ATF’s Arson and Explosives National Repository with maintaining all national information on explosives incidents and arson.

More information on ATF’s programs and operations is at www.atf.gov.

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