# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**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, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/21 "2011-09-23T18:24:20Z")
The cop’s dilemma - what to do with a box of doughnuts left at a public venue. Eat the doughnuts, then blow up the box to be on the safe side. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/22 "2011-09-23T19:04:36Z")
So if you wanted to distribute some horrible airborne contagion vector, all you really need to do is leave a container of it on a train and the cops will disperse it for you?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/23 "2011-09-23T19:11:39Z")
This was like the Simpsons episode where Patty and Selma (from the Simpsons) decided to go to the airport and leave a bag unattended as it’s a good way to meet security men ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/24 "2011-09-23T19:13:02Z")
The briefcase must have been black. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/25 "2011-09-23T19:19:40Z")
Happens a lot in London too. They say a controlled explosion is safer than waiting to see what happens, and they presumably know what they’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/26 "2011-09-24T08:22:20Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > “SEPTA Lost & Found & Detonated, may I help you?” My husband just came rushing into the living room to find out why I sounded like I was having a seizure. Thanks a lot 😃 (And I am so stealing that for Facebook…) ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/27 "2011-09-24T16:37:14Z")
Your bomb squad hard at work. [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/hijodeputat.jpg/](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/hijodeputat.jpg/) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/28 "2011-09-24T18:02:08Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Happens a lot in London too. They say a controlled explosion is safer than waiting to see what happens, and they presumably know what they’re talking about. I presume nothing. Think about it. If you know it’s not a bomb or contain explosives, what are you waiting on? And if you don’t know and it does contain explosives, then, congratulations, you just made a small bomb more effective. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/29 "2011-09-24T19:17:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I presume nothing. Think about it. If you know it’s not a bomb or contain explosives, what are you waiting on? And if you don’t know and it does contain explosives, then, congratulations, you just made a small bomb more effective. Well, I guess they can only ascertain from a distance certain explosives it doesn’t contain, not all. If blowing it up early makes it more effective then that would be stupid, but they’ve been doing it since I was a little kid and probably before then - they’ve had plenty of experience to show them when they’re right or wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/30 "2011-09-26T16:16:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > But now they would just blow me up. Imagine the money you would have saved if they’d implemented this earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/31 "2011-09-26T16:39:40Z")
> [@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? I’ve long suspected that this is the case. They blow up pretty much everything because _it’s fun, and they can get away with it._ ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337/32 "2011-09-27T07:26:54Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Must remind self the next time I ride SEPTA to leave a whale behind. Only if it’s in a briefcase. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-blow-up-harmless-briefcase-as-a-precaution/597337.md?page=1)