TUCSON, Ariz. — Deputies from the Pima County Sheriff's Department say they usually see a slight bump in calls about suspicious items or possible explosives around Independence Day.
They're reminding Tucsonans that using fireworks for something other than their intended purpose— or combining multiple into one device— are criminal offenses.
If you see a suspicious item, PCSD bomb technician Grant Neumann says the first thing to do, is not touch it.
Instead, get far away from the device and call 911.
One the phone, he says, “describe it in detail— as much detail as you can recollect."
Though he says not to take a photo of the item. When officers arrive, they'll determine if the bomb squad needs to come in.
He says a common device is a pipe bomb, which are fairly easy to spot. However, there is a much wider variety of explosive devices.
"You never know what it’s going to look like," Neumann said. "It could be something that’s wrapped in tape or something of that nature. Typically a tell-tale sign is if they have some sort of fuse or something like that sticking out.”
It's a felony to make or posses a real or fake explosive device in Arizona.
