Twice in one week, Oklahoma County residents showed up at local police stations carrying what they thought might be explosive devices. By Friday, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III was publicly pleading with people to stop doing that and to call 911 instead so bomb technicians can handle the danger where it is found.
In both recent cases, deputies and the county bomb squad rushed to the scenes, and nearby roads were temporarily shut down while technicians secured the suspicious items. Johnson stressed that even well-intentioned trips to a police department with a possible bomb can put everyone in the building and surrounding area at risk.
What happened
The sheriff’s office said on social media that there were two separate incidents this week in which citizens brought suspected explosive devices into police facilities, prompting emergency responses and on-site examinations, according to KOCO. Bomb technicians and deputies secured each scene and closed nearby roads while the items were assessed. Officials have not said whether the devices were actually live explosives after they were evaluated.
What the sheriff said
Sheriff Tommie Johnson III told reporters that suspected explosive devices should never be transported by the public and that trained bomb technicians need to handle them where they are found, KOCO reports. Johnson, who has been elected sheriff twice, urged anyone who comes across a suspicious object to back away and call 911 instead of driving it to a department. He also used the moment to remind families about summer roadway safety and to avoid driving while impaired, framing the comments as practical public-safety guidance rather than a warning about new criminal charges.
Why specialists should handle devices
According to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, only certified hazardous-device technicians have the training, robots and protective equipment needed to safely examine and dispose of potential explosives. The county bomb squad is accredited and works with explosive-detection dogs and specialized gear that allow technicians to render suspicious items safe without putting bystanders in harm’s way. For that reason, the sheriff’s office says people should leave questionable objects where they are discovered and wait for trained personnel.
How to stay safe
Federal guidance says that if you spot a package or device that looks out of place, you should not touch or move it, you should evacuate the immediate area and you should call 911 from a safe distance. Authorities also advise avoiding the use of radios or cellphones right next to the object because electronic signals can sometimes trigger explosive devices, and they urge the public to follow directions from responding officers and technicians. The National Institute of Standards and Technology specifically warns, “Do not use cell phones or radios in the immediate area,” and outlines steps for reporting suspicious items, according to NIST.
Local context
Oklahoma County’s bomb technicians respond to a range of suspicious-item calls every year, and the sheriff’s office says even objects that turn out to be harmless are treated as potentially dangerous until experts can check them. That is why deputies repeatedly urge residents to call 911 about suspicious finds instead of carrying them into public buildings such as police stations. The recent social media reminders were meant to reinforce that standing practice and to remind people that specialist teams, not well-intentioned citizens, should be the ones handling possible explosives, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office said.
