Bomb Threat At Work

Ok, so technically that should read "Bomb Threat Near Where I Work" but that's not as flashy of a title :)

(source)

Check out an exciting morning in Cedar Rapids.  This building is kitty-corner to mine: http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Building-Evacuated-Bomb-Squad-En-Route-to-Check-on-Suitcases-129526013.html 

Turns out they were just the personal belongings of a homeless man (very sad, when you think about it), but I'm glad that the city took the situation serious.

I am not so pleased with the people who complain to no end during these incidences - saying it's disruptive, a waste of time and money, or, I love this one, "the terrorists have won."

<rolls eyes>

Yes, it costs money to send out the police, stop trains and traffic, and let the bomb squad play with their robot.

But it costs a bajillion times more if a bomb goes off:

• Loss of life has no price tag
• Disruption of a business is costly
• Heavy damage to a building (or surrounding structures) can tank a company
• No one thinks about secondary damage - sidewalks, roads, landscaping, street signs, utility poles ... someone has to pay for those to be fixed
• Events like these negatively impact an area's image - people may still want to visit the Statue of Liberty after 9/11, but not every city can sustain such a blow.

(source)

The biggest cost overlooked is liability.  Imagine if the police had pooh-poohed the suitcases and they had gone off as a bomb.  Now the city is on the hook for not responding to a call.  That company could then sue, and now you really are talking about taxpayer dollars.

At any rate, I'd much have a brouhaha made over nothing than to be complacent about a genuine threat.