Bomb Scare in Hamlet, Indiana

Hamlet, Indiana is a pretty small and quiet town. We call it a "traffic jam" when there are more than 3 cars at the four way stop sign downtown. (Downtown being the corner where the liquor store, a couple of closed businesses, Waymire's Tap and the Post Office are located) There are jokes made that the streets roll up when the sun goes down, that you could miss the whole town if you blink on the highway going passed the city limits. You get the idea. It's THAT kind of town.

That's why it has to be assumed that Starke County dispatch had to be a bit confused when a call came in around 7:45 PM last Thursday night (10/21/2010) reporting a "suspicious package" on the Norfolk Southern train engine sitting outside of town.

Apparently, the engineers were switching shifts when one of them noticed a package in the train engine. Though gossip in town is that there were three packages set to go off in sequences, the official report says no such thing. Only one package was reported. Still, some aspects of this investigation are cause for concern for Hamlet residents. For instance, no residents of Hamlet knew anything about a bomb scare that night unless they took a trip down US 30 or Old US 30 and happened to have their way blocked by the Indiana State Bomb Squad.

While the staff that was on the train had already evacuated, Hamlet residents had no warning. To his credit, the officer on the scene did request information about wind direction and the names of Hamlet residents nearby, presumably so that they could be warned if it was deemed necessary. Hamlet residents are interested in knowing who makes that particular call. The officer also put in a call requesting that the Hamlet Volunteer Fire Department be placed on standby notice, meaning that volunteers are ready to be on the scene as needed, but that request was never fulfilled. Sources who are members of the HVFD claim that no standby call was issued.

Officers who observed the package were not only concerned that it was a bomb, but that it may be chemical in nature. (This would probably have been an opportune moment to put the town on notice, would it not?) When the Indiana State Bomb Squad arrived, they tested the package and confirmed that it was a bomb or "some kind of explosive device". The bomb was removed from the train and detonated by the Indiana State Bomb Squad with no injuries sustained.

I applaud the officers of Hamlet, knowing what it is that they deal with. Our officers are the original small town officers who deal with everything from gossip, neighbor disputes, wandering dogs and petty theft. Would you really expect more in a small town? You'd be surprised because these officers also have handled bank robberies, bomb threats, in town high speed chases and of course, drug busts. My only requests would be directed to Starke County dispatch: Can we actually put the HVFD on standby and alert nearby residents when necessary?

On a personal side note: I DO live in a very small town and it's unlikely that I will ever mention names of individuals in articles like these. Rest assured that I do my research in all the right places, but I will not put anyone in any kind of personal or financial jeopardy by revealing my sources, though I may quote them directly and thank them profusely. I might even avoid poking fun at then for a week or so in thanks. (Just kidding..kinda!)