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Professor Publishes Book on Bomb Scene Investigation

5/15/2006

FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician Kevin Miles called it "The Bible of Post Blast Crime Scene Investigation."

Jeffrey Norwitz, Federal Special Agent and Professor of National Security Studies at the U.S. Naval War College, says that it "prepares tomorrow's investigators for their role in defeating terrorists" and is "confident this book will save lives."

Tom Thurman's new book, "Practical Bomb Scene Investigation," has received numerous positive reviews and is predicted to be a "benchmark reference for the law enforcement and military practitioner."

Thurman, an associate professor of Safety, Security & Emergency Management at Eastern Kentucky University, has had over 30 years experience in this field as a former special agent in the FBI's explosives unit. He played a key role in the investigation into the Pan Am 103 explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people in 1988. After a British detective discovered a tiny piece of a green circuit board, half the size of a thumbnail, Thurman determined the evidence was part of a timing mechanism used to detonate the bomb. The timer had come from a batch of prototypes made by a Swiss electronics company, and most of those prototypes had been sold to the Libyan government.

The discovery led to the criminal indictments in 1991 of two intelligence aides of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

"This is a must book for not only the explosion/bomb scene investigator and bomb disposal technician, but homeland security professionals, first responders, terrorism intelligence analysts, military personnel, trainers, educators, criminalists and forensic scientists," said Thurman.

In its 500 pages, "Practical Bomb Scene Investigation" provides an "accessible step-by-step guide through the post-blast investigative process, as well as the essential information required by the investigator at the scene."

Thurman uses over 200 color photographs, diagrams and tables to educate and train investigators to understand that valuable evidence does survive the explosion.

"It is essential for bombing/explosion scene investigators to be prepared to meet the challenge when faced with the seemingly impossible task of locating evidence among the rubble following an explosion," said Thurman.

Thurman has been actively working on the book for the past two years, but it really started long before that.

"Technically, I've been working on this book for thirty years, with the experience I gained over that time," he said.

Thurman teaches in the Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigations Program at EKU, where he instructs both introductory and advanced classes.


"What I have done is take my more than thirty years experience in bombs and explosives and incorporate it into the classroom syllabus, lesson plans and lectures and then teach it within an academic setting," he said. "At the same time, I've tried to portray the real-world experience that I, as well as others, have had in the field."

Although Thurman has taught at the University for eight years, his connection to EKU goes back even further. His father was former EKU alumni director J.W. "Spider" Thurman, and he grew up in both Manchester and Richmond before graduating from EKU in 1969.

Thurman will speak about "Practical Bomb Scene Investigation" at the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI) Training Conference and Exhibition in Tampa, Fla., in June.

The book is published by CRC Press and can be bought at www.crcpress.com or www.amazon.com. The cost of the book is $89.95.

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