# Cops blow up harmless briefcase "as a precaution" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 23, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337 "2011-09-23T15:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/1 "2011-09-23T15:21:50Z")
Some schmo left his briefcase on the train last night, so SEPTA (local transit) and local cops determined there were no explosives in it, then blew it up anyway, “as a precaution.” ([Link](http://cbsloc.al/q8pft9)) :rolleyes: What exactly were they trying to do here – serve a warning to those who might leave their bags on mass transit? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/2 "2011-09-23T15:27:28Z")
But they had already gotten to yell “Code 9 - swarm, swarm swarm!”. It would have been a major let down to the whole team if they didn’t get to blow something up at the end of the evening. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/3 "2011-09-23T15:35:09Z")
“SEPTA Lost & Found & Detonated, may I help you?” “Um… nevermind.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/4 "2011-09-23T15:37:20Z")
Ah, the Paoli local! I have taken that many a time, and an exploding suitcase would only have added to the general joy of the experience. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/5 "2011-09-23T15:38:12Z")
Maybe they’re just auditioning for Mythbusters. “Hmm…we’ve conclusively proven that this thing will not blow up on its own. That means there’s only one thing left to do…bring on the TNT!!” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/6 "2011-09-23T15:41:38Z")
That was done here a few years ago when someone left a backback. Imagine the poor student who had to explain that to his professers. This is going to be the new “The dog ate my homework.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/7 "2011-09-23T15:43:16Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Ah, the Paoli local! I have taken that many a time, and an exploding suitcase would only have added to the general joy of the experience. Other end of what used to be the R5 (they’ve gotten rid of all number designations :rolleyes:). A friend and I were coming back from Glenside (seeing Lindsey Buckingham at the Keswick, but that’s a different thread), and the PA was announcing “delays of up to an hour on trains to and from Doylestown due to police activity,” which seemed pretty weird, so I was looking this morning to see if there was an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/8 "2011-09-23T15:44:43Z")
wonder what the policy is on a left behind brolly? vinyl turnip, i think they gave up on the lost/found part of the department. there is no joy in having a bunch of stuff in a big bin or room, when you can blow it up. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/9 "2011-09-23T15:58:17Z")
[ > [@Crazy Harry](#): > > Did someone say dynamite?!?! ]([Crazy Harry | Muppet Wiki | Fandom](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Crazy_Harry)) If after making the ‘nothing found’ call they asked for audience volunteers to open the briefcase, I wonder if they’d get a near 100 percent response. Maybe they figure it’s better to be blow up some TPS reports than to have missed something. Plus, explosives! ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/10 "2011-09-23T15:59:23Z")
Note to self: never leave granny behind on a train in Philadelphia. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/11 "2011-09-23T16:12:16Z")
That happened to a business client who met with my dad once. He was in the Navy at the time, and when the client forgot his briefcase of samples it was taken as suspicious. My dad had the dubious honour of telling him on his return, “Security couldn’t ascertain exactly what was in the case, so we had to blow it up.” Good thing he wasn’t a travelling pet salesman. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/12 "2011-09-23T16:13:06Z")
Must remind self the next time I ride SEPTA to leave a whale behind. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/13 "2011-09-23T16:19:46Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Must remind self the next time I ride SEPTA to leave a whale behind. The YouTube video will be spectacular. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/14 "2011-09-23T16:26:00Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Ah, the Paoli local! I have taken that many a time, and an exploding suitcase would only have added to the general joy of the experience. Way back when, I had a tendency to fall asleep on the train on the way home. The conductor would wake me in Paoli, then I’d have to take a train back the other way to Strafford. But now they would just blow me up. It would have been welcome if I had to keep riding the train in and out of the city. Have they managed to learn how to pronounce the names of the stops yet? It used to be a conductor shouting “Renwah! Rebnrah Station! Next stop Nwehan!” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/15 "2011-09-23T16:32:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Way back when, I had a tendency to fall asleep on the train on the way home. Did you get off at Old, Maids, Never, Wed, And, Have, or Babies? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/16 "2011-09-23T17:23:43Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Did you get off at Old, Maids, Never, Wed, And, Have, or Babies? I forgot about that one. But we lived at the Western end. I rarely stopped anywhere between Bryn Mawr and 30th street. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/17 "2011-09-23T17:41:46Z")
I’ve heard about similar incidents, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they blow the things up if they turn out not to blow up on their own. What, is the average bomb squad made up of ten-year-old boys? “Yay, it has no explosives! Let’s blow it up anyway!” huh? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/18 "2011-09-23T17:49:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’ve heard about similar incidents, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they blow the things up if they turn out not to blow up on their own. What, is the average bomb squad made up of ten-year-old boys? “Yay, it has no explosives! Let’s blow it up anyway!” huh? Um, yeah, in a sense. What do you think drives a person to pursue that as a career? Face it, blowing stuff up is cool. Getting paid to do it, priceless! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/19 "2011-09-23T17:52:40Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The YouTube video will be spectacular. Doubt it, this is Inepta we’re talking about, not the Oregon Highway Dept. They know how to blow up (½) a whale. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/20 "2011-09-23T18:05:01Z")
Happens all the time here in Israel - a friend of mine once lost her saxophone that way. The public’s general attitude toward it is that if you’re stupid enough to leave your bag unattended, you \*dereve \*to get it blown up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337.md?page=2)