Bomb Scare Questions Left Unanswered

The bomb scare at the federal courthouse in Pocatello on Tuesday became part of the national conversation Wednesday morning.

This comes after U.S. Marshals revealed the supposed bomb was just a musical magazine insert.

After a day of debriefing, U.S. Marshal criminal investigator Darrin Lambert responded to what some called an overblown response to a magazine.

“Place yourself or your family member inside this federal building and what precautions would you want us to take to protect your family members, the public in general? And based on what we saw, we felt we took the appropriate measures,” Lambert said.

A conference call between various agencies took place before the bomb squad was called in, and the decision was a joint one, Lambert said.

Lambert couldn’t reveal the name of the “packing” publication, but provided a description.

“It appeared to be some kind of a popular magazine, something you would get through a subscription or over the counter,” he said.

But in the grocery store periodical aisle, all reporter Brittany Borghi could find was how to get yourself a beach-ready body.

A quick Google search finds a model of a singing magazine insert from a Chinese company, but there is no indication of whether that is the model that appeared in the courthouse.

Lambert could not say what the insert was playing, but after the story hit the national wires, NPR’s Morning Edition had a pretty good suggestion.

“‘Safety Dance’ certainly would’ve captured the scene,” host Dan Greene said.

Still, Lambert might say, better “Safety Dance” than “Sorry Dance,” right?

The Pocatello Police Department could not provide a response on how much the response cost, adding that public safety is more important than the price.