The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Hazardous Devices Unit (HDU) is responsible for the rendering safe and disposal of all bombs, booby traps, and incendiary devices. All HDU technicians are graduates of the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School in Huntsville, Alabama. In order to maintain their certification HDU technicians must return to Huntsville every three years and complete a recertification course comprising of both written exams and practical exercises. The Hazardous Devices Unit itself is also accredited by the FBI. Since September 11th, 2001, accredited HDU’s throughout the nation have been organized into regions to more effectively deal with potential terrorism attacks. This melds the regional HDUs into a single, cohesive unit when responding to large scale incidents. Additionally, training in the areas of weapons of mass destruction and large vehicle bombs has been intensified. Over the years, the tools of the HDU technician have evolved from the low-tech pocket knife, roll of tape, and length of rope into an array of high-tech instruments. Sheriff’s Office HDU technicians currently deploy a number of high-tech tools including a robot, a digital x-ray system, and radiation detection equipment.