The bomb squad from El Dorado, Ark., along with squads from Plano, Texas, and Bossier City, La., have responded to other suspicious incidents in Texarkana in recent years.
The bomb squad unit of the El Dorado, Ark., Police Department is the unit other departments in Southwest Arkansas rely on.
"We call them first, then call another agency if they are not available. But they are our go-to whenever we can use them," said Sgt. Rick Cockrell, spokesman for Texarkana, Ark., Police Department.
The El Dorado Police Department Bomb Squad is a four-man unit, two of whom are certified bomb technicians, according to the department's website.
The El Dorado bomb squad traveled to Texarkana on Monday to remove a suspicious device from near the Bi-State Justice Building. It was determined to be non-hazardous.
Texarkana, Texas, Police often rely on the bomb squad from Plano, Texas. The bomb squad with Barksdale Air Force in Bossier City have also responded to incidents in Texarkana.
March 2017
The Plano Bomb Squad responded when a grenade was found at a home near West 39th and Olive streets in Texarkana, Texas.
Officials did not believe the grenade was live, but destroyed it as a precaution, according to police.
Contractors working on the home discovered the grenade early in the afternoon and officials were contacted. The bomb squad arrived in Texarkana just before 5 p.m. and detonated the grenade within just a few minutes.
Texas-side police and firefighters blocked off the area and evacuated homes within two blocks of the house where the grenade was found. A neighborhood resident said the house had been empty a couple of weeks and a crew had been scraping paint on the house.
Residents who had been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes shortly after 5 p.m.
September 11, 2014
Central Mall Security noticed a suspicious briefcase next to a vehicle and alerted authorities of the suspicious package.
Texarkana, Texas, Police did an initial investigation and then called in mutual aid of the Shreveport Bomb Square. The robot X-Ray camera took a picture of the suitcase from afar and the picture was analyzed with special equipment to determine whether the suitcase had any explosive devices in it. The bomb squad determined that nothing harmful was inside.
There was also a bomb threat at Texarkana College the same day but police did not believe the incidents were related.
September 2013
The Bossier City, La., Police Department bomb squad detonated an apparent pipe bomb found in the Liberty-Eylau community.
A capped PVC pipe, about 2 inches wide with what appeared to be fuses coming off the ends, was found on property in the 200 block of Tomahawk Road.
The man who lives in the residence had been in jail for several months. He had returned home and was cleaning up around the property when he found the pipe, Bowie County Officials said. Investigators called the bomb squad.
The house where the bomb was found and the house right behind it were evacuated. The bomb squad detonated the bomb and it was sent to the crime lab.
October 2010
A suspicious box found on a Texarkana, Texas, residential street proved to be only a stereo speaker.
The Bossier City, La., Fire Department's Bomb Squad was called to Texarkana to inspect the device, which was found in the middle of Treasure Hill Road, a residential neighborhood near Red River Lumber Co.
A city employee found the suspicious item shortly before 5 p.m. and called the police. The box had wires next to it that looked suspicious.
The bomb squad finished inspecting the speaker a couple of hours later and declared the area safe.
December 2009
An anonymous caller said there was a bomb in the parking lot of the Miller County jail.
A second call received 30 to 40 minutes later warned of a "drop" being made in the parking lot. A detention deputy alerted sheriff's deputies after discovering a trash bag sitting next to a brightly hued camouflage-painted truck. Deputies cordoned off more than half the parking lot and contacted the bomb squad of Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport.
In less than an hour, a five-man, one-robot Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal team examined the contents of the package.
Inside the black garbage bag, a copy of the Texarkana Gazette dated Aug. 29 was wrapped around a large, turquoise-blue shoe box. The top story on the paper headlined, "Miller County Jail Improvements, Regaining Control of the Jail," and chronicled changes Sheriff Ron Stovall and his staff made that led to a lifting of a state-imposed probation.
Inside the box were an aerosol can, a battery, and some wires. But nothing dangerous was found.
The Air Force EOD crew maneuvered the robot and its attached camera. Once confident they were dealing with a dud, the robot was manipulated to take apart the box.