By Roger McKinney

rmckinney@joplinglobe.com

COLUMBUS, Kan. — Columbus Police Chief Chuck Sharp this week spoke with Cherokee County department heads and the County Commission about protocol to follow when a bomb threat is received by telephone at the courthouse.

The most recent bomb threat was made Sept. 29. The courthouse was evacuated and county government was shut down for the day. The courthouse square also was closed to traffic. A sweep of the building by two explosives-sniffing dogs supplied by the Kansas Highway Patrol found nothing.

It had been more than a year since a bomb threat, but the Sept. 29 threat was the fifth one at the courthouse since February 2005.

Sharp on Monday told department heads and the Commission about a feature offered by Columbus Telephone Co. called customer-originated trace. He said any employee receiving a bomb threat can dial an activation code to initiate the trace. The phone company then would notify police of the number or location where the call originated. Sharp asked department heads to train employees on the measure.

He said if the callers know their calls can be traced, it may eliminate bomb threats.

“This will let them know that we have the capability of tracing the calls, no matter where they’re from,” Sharp said.

Sharp also suggested that one person on each floor of the courthouse be designated to make sure everyone is notified when the courthouse is evacuated. He said the person in charge on the floor should be sure to check restrooms, offices and even closets.

During the Sept. 29 evacuation, an employee with her office door closed remained in the building after it was evacuated, apparently not realizing what was happening.

No one from the Sheriff’s Department participated in Monday’s meeting among county department heads, the County Commission and Sharp.

Panic button

The “panic button” in courthouse offices is designed to notify the Columbus Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and other emergency workers, but on Sept. 29, only the Sheriff’s Department received the notification when the button was activated. Columbus Police Chief Chuck Sharp said he thinks a radio-frequency change since the previous bomb threat is to blame.