For this situation I am assuming that the potential bomb is large enough to do significant damage. The bomb that caused so much devastation at the Atlanta Olympics was in a backpack, and I am going to hypothesize a backpack for this scenario.

This presents a problem in a mall, because teenagers frequently hang out in a mall, and the backpack might contain nothing more dangerous than the student's report card. However, I do not know that and cannot confirm that because I do not have those skills.

The first rule for this situation is "Hands Off the Package." That means that I do not approach it. I do not move it, even though by moving it, I might think I might reduce its risk. That's not my job. It

I would turn off my radio, and I would also tell people that once they have moved to the established perimeter they should turn off their cell phones.

's my job to not touch it and to make sure that no one else does either. Since this is an indoor restaurant in a mall, the risk of an ambush seems remote, but bombs can have all sorts of triggers. Moving it would not only change the crime scene but might trigger the bomb to explode as well.

Twenty years ago, a backpack left in a mall would not have drawn a crowd, but that was before such events as the Atlantic Olympic bombing. Even though it was an onlooker who may have notified the police of the potential IED, now it is time for people to move away. I will have to tell people this clearly and calmly, but firmly.

It is possible that someone in the area has seen something significant. Perhaps person A called the police or mall security, but person B saw the person who left the backpack. I need to know who might have seen something significant before the crowd moves away. So the first step in investigation would be to find out, immediately, who potential witnesses might be. I would ask who made the phone call, who was here before the crowd gathered, and get their names, addresses and phone numbers. I would ask them to wait, apart and away from each other. While it would be very interesting to them to compare stories, we need to hear their recollections without it having been possibly altered by a discussion with others. It would be particularly important to identify anyone who might have seen the person leave it. Since this person might still be in t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Scene Log, Atlantic Olympic, EMERGENCY PERSONNEL, , Hands Package, INVESTIGATE SCENE, Atlanta Olympics, crime scene, HANDS PACKAGE, tell people, police department, potential witnesses, mall security, potential ied, hands package, people move, potential bomb, bomb squad, alert emergency personnel,
Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)