English: TSA bomb appraisal officers (BAOs) from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) recently collaborated with partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to provide TSOs training on enhanced detection capabilities for explosives at the checkpoint and in checked baggage.

The June 2-4 Explosives Safety Training and Demonstration included live explosive detonations. Session goals included increasing recognition skills for specific explosive components, heightening officer awareness and demonstrating the power of explosives.

Held at the Public Safety Center in Sykesville, Md., the event was also attended by members of the Pentagon Force Protection K-9, Pentagon Bomb Squad, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department and Maryland Aviation Administration.

“The officers can see the exact effects of explosives out here and relate to those experiences if something happens inside the airport environment,” said BWI Transportation Security Manager Shaun Roach.

TSA coordinated the training with the Annapolis (Md.) Fire Marshal, Baltimore Police Department, Ocean City (Md.) Bomb Squad, Baltimore City Bomb Squad and the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission.