The package explosion at the FedEx facility in Schertz on Tuesday morning proved to be one of the only times the police department has responded to a situation in the national spotlight.
The first call came at just after midnight.
Schertz police headed to the scene of the explosion within seconds of the call.
“We have a great group of officers. We have a great support system,” Officer Helen Lafitte said. “There were several others behind the scenes. We also had Fire, EMS out there.”
The men and women put training into action that they don’t use on a day-to-day basis. It’s a small department with about 30 patrol officers. Many of them have never been at the center of nation-wide news coverage.
“We have our traffic accidents, disturbances, burglary alarm calls,” Lafitte said.
The department does not have their own bomb squad but they train for emergency situations and disasters. The training paid off this week.
Schertz officers evacuated the facility and kept the scene secure. Then they set up a command post and tapped special units from nearby agencies.
“Having the equipment sit somewhere and not be used is kind of a waste of money. So in situations like this having those resources is a cost saving for us,” Lafitte said. “We can call them and use their resources that they use and they have the training on regularly.”
The San Antonio bomb squad and response equipment available at a nearby air base are the force’s usual go-to calls. With ATF and FBI agents already in Austin investigating package explosions, federal help was quick to arrive at the scene.
Like every police department large or small, Schertz hopes the call for a bomb squad is one they never have to make again.
The investigation into the package explosion is still open. Other agencies are taking the lead, freeing up Schertz officers to focus on new cases in their city.