On Sunday, August 13, 2017, Officer Jeffrey Joseph and Officer Issa Kafena of the Austin Police Department presented a detailed overview of the Austin Bomb Squad Unit and the services provided by the bomb technicians and their K-9 counterparts. The officers discussed the duties of the Bomb Squad, described procedures for locating and disposing of explosives, and presented examples of explosive materials. Officer Kafena and bomb dog Dax, a Belgian Malinois, showed how dogs sniff out explosives.
Officer Joseph is a twenty-year veteran of the APD and has worked in the Bomb Squad Unit for five of those years.
Officer Kafena has been with the APD for nine years and with the Bomb Squad for four years. He and Dax trained together. When Dax is retired, Officer Kafena will pay the City of Austin $1.00 to permanently adopt her, as it is customary for handlers to do whenever possible.
Members of the audience were free to ask questions during the program. Officers answered more questions after the presentation.
Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter meets the second Sunday of each month at Book People, 603 North Lamar, Austin, phone 512-472-5050. Meetings begin at 2:15 p.m. Take the elevator to the third floor. Meetings are free and the public is invited.
We are writers and readers, men and women, who share an interest in crime fiction. Current members live throughout Central Texas–from Waco on the north to New Braunfels on the south–but our territory has no borders: No matter where you live, you’re welcome here.
