# Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

## Fact Sheet

Public Affairs Division – Washington, DC

At The Frontline Against Violent Crime

March 2011

www.atf.gov

Contact: ATF Public Affairs Division

(202) 648-8500

### Expertise On Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs)

#### Purpose

Since 1968, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has identified and adapted to emerging threats that involve explosives, including the criminal use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  ATF has the training, experience and ability to detect, prevent, protect against and respond to explosives incidents involving IEDs. 

#### Authority

ATF is the federal agency charged with enforcing the provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, Title XI, Title 18, United State Code, Sec 1102, Chapter 40, and Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 555.  These are the major laws enacted by Congress on the storage, commerce, distribution, transportation and manufacture of explosives and explosive materials. 

#### Mission

It is ATF’s unique mission to both regulate the explosives industry and investigate criminal acts involving explosives and fire.  ATF is the only agency with authority to inspect the storage of explosives by federal explosives licensees and to track thefts, losses and recoveries of explosives.  ATF’s industry operations investigators regularly interact with the nearly 12,000 federal explosives licensees who manufacture, import, sell or store explosives in the United States.  This regulatory responsibility, combined with ATF’s criminal enforcement mission, gives ATF an unmatched perspective on activity involving explosives in this country. 

Since 1978, ATF has investigated more than 25,000 bombings and attempted bombings, more than 900 accidental explosions and more than 21,000 incidents involving recovered explosives or explosive devices.  The majority of these criminal bombings involved the use of IEDs, which are customized explosive weapons or homemade bombs.

The Explosives Technology Branch is ATF’s primary point of technical assistance and support in all matters involving explosives.  ATF has a cadre of special agent certified explosives specialists (CESs) and explosives enforcement officers (EEOs), who provide technical expertise in explosives investigations and expert testimony in judicial proceedings.

EEOs have extensive experience in explosives and bomb disposal and are experts in all aspects of explosives technology.  CESs’ provide training to law enforcement and military personnel on post-blast investigations, IED recognition, disposal of explosives and command-and-control of investigative scenes.  As part of their intensive training on explosives investigations, handling and disposal, these specialized professionals receive hundreds of hours of instruction on IEDs.

ATF’s National Center for Explosives Training and Research delivers training programs to students from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. military and foreign governments.  They offer training in post-blast investigations, IED and explosives recognition, safe explosives handling and disposal methods, and clandestine/homemade explosives laboratories.

ATF also conducts outreach and partnership activities with members of the explosives and chemical industries, as well as those industries' organizations.  Generally speaking, no person may obtain, transfer, transport or cause explosives to be transported without an ATF license or permit.  All explosives must be stored in a secure and safe manner as required by ATF regulations.  Licensees have specific recordkeeping and conduct of business requirements that ensure security, accountability and traceability of explosive materials used in IEDs.  Outreach efforts with explosives industry members allow ATF to provide information and raise awareness of explosives vulnerabilities and mitigation efforts, which enhances national security. 

ATF’s technical experts also assess sensitive public venues, such as state government buildings and courthouses, to determine their vulnerability to attack by IEDs and other threats.

#### Resources

ATF gathers intelligence data and shares information through the U.S. Bomb Data Center (USBDC).  The Center has the largest collection of explosives and fire incident-based information in the world, with more than 185,000 arson and explosives incident reports obtained from federal, state, and local fire and law enforcement agencies.  The USBDC shares this information with federal, state and local partners through the Bomb Arson Tracking System (BATS), providing real-time incident-based information.  The USBDC has used BATS to successfully link several devices used in multi-state serial bombings and help solve cases.

ATF has trained, certified and deployed more than 1,500 canines that can detect explosives in IEDs for state, local, other federal and foreign law enforcement agencies.  ATF also conducts research involving explosives, ammonium nitrate and other potentially dangerous chemicals.

ATF’s National Response Team (NRT) consists of highly trained and experienced special agents, forensic chemists, EEOs, electrical engineers, fire protection engineers and canine handlers.  Since 1978, the NRT) has responded to more than 700 significant incidents throughout the United States.

ATF’s National Laboratory Center also conducts explosives examinations of evidence collected at scenes of explosions to identifying the type of explosives and the pieces of the explosive device.

Finally, ATF provides technical and operational analysis of IEDs by serving within the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell in Iraq, participating in the Joint Improvised Explosives Devices Defeat Organization and sharing information on IEDs from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center.

For more information about ATF’s expertise on improvised explosive devices, go to www.atf.gov.

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