Bomb threats uncommon in area

It is not a common occurrence in eastern New Mexico, but when a bomb threat occurs it takes dedication and collaboration between law enforcement and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers.

A bomb threat is a fourth-degree felony and is punishable with a $5,000 fine and 18 months in prison, District Attorney Andrea Reeb said.

“We cover down on conventional, chemical and biological ordnance,” said Cannon Air Force Base EOD Flight Chief Jeremy Phillips. “We have agreements with the community when requested and approved.”

Phillips said the EOD team does not usually respond to threats.

“It’s pretty much after the suspect device has been found and the actual device has been found,” said Phillips. “Once they’ve (law enforcement) ID’d the package, then we’re brought in.”

With regards to follow up threats, “the only thing predictable is that they’re unpredictable,” Phillips said. “Typically the people that deploy them are unpredictable.”

“For our training, when we’re brought into a situation we have to treat everything live until it is proven otherwise,” said Phillips. “We have to make sure we’re doing right by the public and doing right by the Air Force. We’re here to help the public out as much as possible at the end of the day. At the end of the day the important thing is keeping everything safe.”

This is the same mentality Portales Police Department Public Information Officer Charlie Smart said in regards to handling threats. It’s a collaborative effort with EOD certified individuals if anything suspicious is found, he said.

“It’s a lot more different for a smaller agency like us... because of manpower issues,” said Smart. “Everybody’s good about pulling together.”

Smart said procedure includes securing the perimeter if the threat is at a school, for example. A threat at a fuel plant would require a much larger perimeter.

When it comes to identifying suspects, Smart said “as a general rule, we don’t get the call. It’s through dispatch.”

Curry County Undersheriff Mike Reeves said it has been several years since the Sheriff’s Office responded to a bomb threat prior to Feb. 27, when the Curry County District Courthouse received a threat with no explosives found.

Clovis High School was cleared after a bomb threat Thursday. Principal Jay Brady said in a statement the school received a call to evacuate around 3:35 p.m.

The building was cleared at 4:55 p.m. after no explosives were found, Brady said in the statement.

Brady said Friday bomb threat protocol prioritizes student safety, ensuring the physical and emotional well being of students.

Clovis Police Department Capt. Roman Romero said two threats earlier this year at a local school — one Jan. 24 and another Feb. 21 — are still under investigation. He did not disclose the respective schools.

The latest threat prior to this year was Sept. 22, 2015, Romero added.

“These have been actions taken by individuals to disrupt a process,” said Romero. “The times we’ve caught them (suspects), there’s not a very good reason. They cause people to panic and that’s what these things are about. It affects the whole community.”

Romero said no explosives were found in the three cases.

In the 17 years Smart served with Portales police, he said there was only one bomb threat that happened several years ago.

It turned out high school students did not want to take a test.

“As I remember, that’s pretty much what it was. It was coming up mid-term week and that was the excuse,” Smart said. “It just doesn’t happen around here that much, thank God.”