City Council OKs Larger, Upgraded LAPD Bomb Squad
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to expand and reorganize the Police Department’s bomb squad in the wake of the deaths of two of its members last year.
The council approved by a 10-0 vote an increase in the size of the Firearms and Explosives Section from 12 to 20 and gave the unit $142,202 for new equipment.
The council also agreed to create separate bomb and firearms units within the section and to provide officers with improved training.
Police officials recommended the expansion and reorganization of the unit after the deaths of Detective Arleigh McCree, 46, and officer Ronald Ball, 43, who had 38 years of experience between them.
The two were killed Feb. 8, 1986, while trying to defuse a pipe bomb in a North Hollywood garage.
An investigation of the unit uncovered inadequate training and equipment, excessive workloads and fatigue among the officers. It also found insufficient management supervision, according to a report by Chief Administrative Officer Keith Comrie.
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