Dothan Bomb Squad Gets New Truck With Help from Local College Students

The Dothan bomb squad got a new set of wheels on Tuesday, saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars and giving one group of students a life lesson they won't soon forget.

A group of Wallace Community College-Sparks Campus students have been working with the Dothan Police Department's bomb squad, turning an old pediatric response truck into a new bomb squad vehicle.

"It's a very large project and large vehicle," said Police Chief Greg Benton. "It would have consumed a large amount of money (going somewhere else) so by us buying the paint and letting them help out with the paint job saved us a lot of money."

The students were recognized for their hard work with certificates, but all involved agreed on one thing, the true take-away from the experience was a new friendship.

 "It allowed them to see that police officers are just human beings," said Lt. Scott Health, the bomb squad commander. "It's a job where they can't see the other side of the officer. It allowed us to put our guard down and allowed them to have a good time with us."

The new truck was paid for by funds seized during drug busts, and will replace old response vehicles previously used by the department.

Those trucks will be auctioned off.