Sorry if this is a dupe... but perhaps you'd like a bit more info.

I woke to a phone call from my mom this morning, asking if I was okay.  I was like, "yeah, except it's 6:45 AM."  My mom responded that there was something happening on campus and it was appearing on the news in St. Louis.  She didn't know what it was.  I got out of bed and sat down in front of the TV.  From what they were saying, a terrorist-like event had happened last night and our campus was being flooded by the FBI, Police, Fire Dept, Hazmat, Army EOD, etc.

So at this point I began to wake up and realize they were talking about MY campus!  My suitemate came in and said his mom called too, and I explained what I knew.  The only other thing they said was that classes were cancelled.  Amazingly, our staff failed to notify the students that class was cancelled until after we heard it on the news :)

I went back to bed, b/c according to the news whatever had happened was wrapping up.  I'd hear about it later today.

I woke again at 12:00 PM and went to lunch, where I found the full story and even visited the site (plus anecdotal evidence to who was involved):

Apparently an international student cracked from his course load and decided to commit "suicide by police," whereby his actions would surely end in a blazing hail of bullets.  He went to the Carlton-Butler Civil Engineering building at ~2:00 AM and called in a bomb threat.  When the police arrived, he held a bag and said it had a bomb inside.  The police tazered him.  Afterwards, he was found to be in possession of a white powder and that's when everything went haywire.  Calls go out asking for government assistance, and the surrounding area is cordoned off.

Fort Leonard Wood sends a group of bomb guys (their second appearance this year, I might add).  The FBI shows up.  Our fire department brings everything.  Phelps County WMD team pulls in with a big 'ole trailer.  Before long, there's a regular party beside the buidling, with decontamination showers, tents, guys in moon suits, and lots of guys in blue or camo.  Body armor was prevalent (we think we saw the EOD guys in full armor, but that was kind of far away).  23(?) people are taken into quarantine.

Fast forward to 3:00 PM.  It is now known the powder was powdered sugar, and the building is cleared of any suspicious stuff.  The people in quarantine are released.  Everyone is going home.  A neat story, and I got the day off too!  Was pretty neat to see all the guys walking around like some sort of hollywood disaster scene.

www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/969719F3F0B24FFB8625728F004C2C42?OpenDocument

But hey, you want some pictures, right?  I pulled these off facebook, most of which are pics from students here on campus:

wow, must have been an exciting day  

Where's all the Cops? I see moslty FD/Haz Mat types.

Sorry if the pictures don't reflect many cops.  They WERE everywhere, just most of them were spread across campus patrolling the cordoned area.

i love the child friendly hazmat logo.

who was the guy in the boonie hat?  not military because he had no unit patch. he seemed a little out of place and/or overdressed for the occasion.  was that you or another arfcommer on campus?  if it was, 1997 called and they want their LBV/empty buttpack combo back.  

hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar

and you wonder why taxes keep going up.
ridiculous.

I was wondering who that guy was too.  I saw him everywhere, once inside a squad car.  Perhaps a really excitable officer?

Reminds me of that line from T2 when the cops roll up to the lab


"How many of there are out there?"

"All of them, I think."

I'm curious and bored.  So what was the white powder?

Never mind, powdered sugar.  I need to learn how to read.  

It was powdered sugar.  I wonder if they did the taste test

Quoted: i love the child friendly hazmat logo. who was the guy in the boonie hat?  not military because he had no unit patch. he seemed a little out of place and/or overdressed for the occasion.  was that you or another arfcommer on campus?  if it was, 1997 called and they want their LBV/empty buttpack combo back.

+1 was gonna say the same thing, logo is funny as hell

Failing to commit suicide is like failing at failing.

Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous.

If you're that worried about wasting our tax dollars, just man up and volunteer to taste it next time somebody stating he has a bomb/white powder.

Hey, UMR!  

My ex went there.  the bitch.

Quoted: Quoted: i love the child friendly hazmat logo. who was the guy in the boonie hat?  not military because he had no unit patch. he seemed a little out of place and/or overdressed for the occasion.  was that you or another arfcommer on campus?  if it was, 1997 called and they want their LBV/empty buttpack combo back.   +1 was gonna say the same thing, logo is funny as hell

 you know when he got the call he was like "YESSSSS!!! i get to wear my battle rattle in public!!!!"  

Wow, you have dated a very rare thing.  I think we had a 1:12 girl:guy ratio until the past decade.  Now we're up to 1:4.

Some of those pics deserve their own caption contest.

Quoted: Apparently an international student cracked from his course load and decided to commit "suicide by police," whereby his actions would surely end in a blazing hail of bullets.  He went to the Carlton-Butler Civil Engineering building at ~2:00 AM and called in a bomb threat.  When the police arrived, he held a bag and said it had a bomb inside.  The police tazered him.

Quoted: Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous. If you're that worried about wasting our tax dollars, just man up and volunteer to taste it next time somebody finds white powder.

yes, because it takes no less than 400 people to cordon an area, deal with a single suspect, and test a bag of white powder.  every one of them are heroes and completely necessary.

come see how many people my company uses for a cordon and search in a friggin warzone.  a lot of people made a ridiculous amount of overtime today for doing nothing. i understand the concept of redundancy and making sure you have enough resources in an unknown situation, but 400 people is a completely ridiculous number.

Quoted:  Amazingly, our staff failed to notify the students that class was cancelled until after we heard it on the news :)

This doesn't surprise me a bit.  It's like getting an email at 9:30 saying all classes that day are canceled after you've trudged to an 8 am class and then went back to your room.  

I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars that cost.

Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous.

The only thing ridiculous about it is your post.  Guess it is better for someone to fall over sick or dead before you get the proper HAZMAT equipment and personel on scene

How was that parking lot not full of cars? Was it because it had been 2 am when the cops showed up?

Quoted: yes, because it takes no less than 400 people to cordon an area, deal with a single suspect, and test a bag of white powder.  every one of them are heroes and completely necessary. come see how many people my company uses for a cordon and search in a friggin warzone.  a lot of people made a ridiculous amount of overtime today for doing nothing. i understand the concept of redundancy and making sure you have enough resources in an unknown situation, but 400 people is a completely ridiculous number.

dont ever try to compare policing the citizens of this country to the engagement rules you have for a warzone. it doesnt compare in the least.

Courts dictate a very soft and gentle hand when dealing with the public of this country, and because of that, you need 4 times as many people.

Quoted: I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars that cost.

i think you need to add a few zeroes.  the EOD team's helo flight to and from leonard wood probably costed a pretty penny, not counting all the OT for the 300+ city cops and responders that formed a two man deep hand-in-hand wall around the entire campus.

that doesnt even count homeland security and all the "secret" agencies and personnell that showed up and offered their expert opinion @ $350k/yr.

Quoted: How was that parking lot not full of cars? Was it because it had been 2 am when the cops showed up?

A lot of students use that area to park overnight.  Sucks to be them.

.

Quoted: Quoted: yes, because it takes no less than 400 people to cordon an area, deal with a single suspect, and test a bag of white powder.  every one of them are heroes and completely necessary. come see how many people my company uses for a cordon and search in a friggin warzone.  a lot of people made a ridiculous amount of overtime today for doing nothing. i understand the concept of redundancy and making sure you have enough resources in an unknown situation, but 400 people is a completely ridiculous number. dont ever try to compare policing the citizens of this country to the engagement rules you have for a warzone. it doesnt compare in the least. Courts dictate a very soft and gentle hand when dealing with the public of this country, and because of that, you need 4 times as many people.

nobody said a word about engaging anything.  a cordon and search is the same no matter what, the only difference between cops and military is that mil get it done with 1/100th the personnel and 100 times the danger ratio.  

if it was true that there was 400+ responders to this little escapade then it was simply ridiculous.  hazmat/EOD teams arent large, so the majority of the people there seemingly showed up and stayed because it seemed like the cool thing to do.

thats my opinion, take it for what its worth.  then again, im overly critical of the 5 car stop method for traffic tickets as well, but thats just me.  some people have to justify their existance somehow.

Have any identity info on the student? His name / nation of origin?  Media won't say, so that leaves the usual suspect.

You've been through a very traumatic event.

You better go to the pie shop and get some pie....

Chocolate cream is my favorite

An Arfcommer should of went up to the person in woodland camo and told him lbv gear is out molle vests are the thing now.

Quoted: Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous. If you're that worried about wasting our tax dollars, just man up and volunteer to taste it next time somebody stating he has a bomb/white powder.

Yeah...but all those people?

What did that incident cost the poor taxpayers? AT LEAST a few hundred thousand $$

Quoted: It looks like commando Bob had things under control.

all that gear and no weapon, nor forest to hide in. he couldve at least filled his buttpack with a couple tshirts or something.  

i think ive seen that guy at my local gunshow.  


{edit} his identity has been revealed, hes from the city parking enforcement bureau, making sure nobody parked in front of any restricted spots that the guys from the city water system and zoning board that responded to the call needed to use.  those guys were in ghillie suits 300m into the woodline.

Quoted: ............... I woke again at 12:00 PM and went to lunch, where I found the full story and even visited the site (plus anecdotal evidence to who was involved):

Ahhhhhhhh. College.

<anecdotal evidence>  I have been told by another CivE student that he was a middle-easterner.  Can't remember the name.  And yeah, the media won't say.</anecdotal evidence>

Quoted: It looks like commando Bob had things under control.

The triumvirate is now complete, Sgt Sugarcookie, Heavy 6 and Commando Bob

Quoted: Quoted: It looks like commando Bob had things under control. The triumvirate is now complete, Sgt Sugarcookie, Heavy 6 and Commando Bob

that man is a hero, leave him alone.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It looks like commando Bob had things under control. The triumvirate is now complete, Sgt Sugarcookie, Heavy 6 and Commando Bob that man is a hero, leave him alone.

Someone buy Commando Bob some food STAT, he is not meeting the weight standard

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous. If you're that worried about wasting our tax dollars, just man up and volunteer to taste it next time somebody finds white powder. yes, because it takes no less than 400 people to cordon an area, deal with a single suspect, and test a bag of white powder.  every one of them are heroes and completely necessary. come see how many people my company uses for a cordon and search in a friggin warzone.  a lot of people made a ridiculous amount of overtime today for doing nothing. i understand the concept of redundancy and making sure you have enough resources in an unknown situation, but 400 people is a completely ridiculous number.

Daemon,

Where does 3ID have you?  A buddy of mine is with 2/7IN

GB
Ft Hood, TX

2-7IN is in 1BCT at Ft stewart.   im in 3BCT in benning....well we wont be here for much longer....

Amusingly enough, the FD, PD, and EMS for the surrounding three towns had a chemical attack drill on my campus the first week of December. They set up a command center in the middle of the campus intersection, had hazmat gear piled in a corner, decontamination showers, the big yellow garbage cans of doom, cops directing traffic, etc. The EMS teams drove little go-karts and ambulances all over campus and made our janitors participate by pretending to be victims. They'd stick oxygen masks on 'em, strap 'em to backboards, and haul them off to the command center. Meanwhile, the fire department took a tour of the cafeteria building, noting all the exits, possible sources of fire like the stoves, etc.

I'm still not overly impressed with the emergency services in this town. An ambulance showed up because someone on campus had a seizure and the paramedics walked off and left the ambulance doors wide open, parked on the busiest street on campus. It's amazing nobody stole anything out of it while it was unsupervised for nearly twenty minutes, especially since druggies are often raiding unwatched ambulances.

Quoted: {edit} his identity has been revealed, hes from the city parking enforcement bureau, making sure nobody parked in front of any restricted spots that the guys from the city water system and zoning board that responded to the call needed to use.  those guys were in ghillie suits 300m into the woodline.

Quoted: <anecdotal evidence>  I have been told by another CivE student that he was a middle-easterner.  Can't remember the name.  And yeah, the media won't say.</anecdotal evidence>

"International student"  As soon as I saw the news that a student went wacky at UMR I figured it might be a case of SJS.  

PlaysWithAtoms=nuke?  A buddy of mine went to UMR studying nuclear & computer engineering.  He mentioned getting to play with the reactor & such.  Still there working for the university.

Quoted: hmmm, 400 people for powdered sugar and you wonder why taxes keep going up. ridiculous.

Sometime late last year, some guy poured or spilled mercury on the LA subway station floor.  He picked up one of the "courtesy" phones and told them, then left.  As I remember it, hours later, someone cleaned it up.  A couple of months later, the story got out... and all of a sudden everyone and their cousin was running around like a chicken with its' head cut off.  They tracked the guy down and arrested him, and staged hourly news conferences, talking very seriously about how they were addressing this serious issue, etc.  But it was two months ago!  It's over!  Mercury would be bad if someone drank it or started playing with it, but it wasn't going to explode, or become a gas, or do anything but sit there and look cool.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: yes, because it takes no less than 400 people to cordon an area, deal with a single suspect, and test a bag of white powder.  every one of them are heroes and completely necessary. come see how many people my company uses for a cordon and search in a friggin warzone.  a lot of people made a ridiculous amount of overtime today for doing nothing. i understand the concept of redundancy and making sure you have enough resources in an unknown situation, but 400 people is a completely ridiculous number. dont ever try to compare policing the citizens of this country to the engagement rules you have for a warzone. it doesnt compare in the least. Courts dictate a very soft and gentle hand when dealing with the public of this country, and because of that, you need 4 times as many people. nobody said a word about engaging anything.  a cordon and search is the same no matter what, the only difference between cops and military is that mil get it done with 1/100th the personnel and 100 times the danger ratio.   .

again, dealing with the general public is nothing like dealing with people in a war zone.

As a LEO, ive been on the scene of a take over style bank robbery, taking cover behind cement walls wearing kevlar helmets and AT15 deployed, and have been walking up to me asking me if the bank is open.

That is the type of stupidity which warrants having so many emergency crews there, because the idiots of the world need babysitters, and you cant actively control a scene, and do so without using excessive force, unless you have enough bodies there.


edited to add: and guess what happens if you cant effectively keep all the sheeples out, and one gets hurt? a seven figure settlement.

Quoted: nobody said a word about engaging anything.  a cordon and search is the same no matter what, the only difference between cops and military is that mil get it done with 1/100th the personnel and 100 times the danger ratio.   if it was true that there was 400+ responders to this little escapade then it was simply ridiculous.  hazmat/EOD teams arent large, so the majority of the people there seemingly showed up and stayed because it seemed like the cool thing to do.

One person walks in or out of a hazmat area and you may have a gigantic problem on your hands.

Cost aside, it sounds like they at least had some kind of response plan - and they were able to execute it.  




-K

Lets see.   I just googled this story and see the media handling it with "kid gloves."

I'll dare say:   M.E. sounding name?

Another Muslim committing an episode of "not terrorism"?

imagine what the authorities would have done if the student had one of these:

Quoted: imagine what the authorities would have done if the student had one of these: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/06/xinsrc_4620204060958109318915.jpg

They would obviously be forced to shell out $100,000,000 for 15 minutes of Chuck Norris's time.