An inside look at how law enforcement responds to bomb threats following scares at election offices

Several election offices across Southern California were forced to evacuate after bomb threats were received in the days following Election Day.

News Channel Three reported that the Riverside County Registrar of Voters was evacuated last Friday. Orange County's election offices faced similar threats, too.

The Riverside County Registrar wrote in a statement following the scare:

The County of Riverside Registrar of Voters received a bomb threat at the Riverside Central Counting Building. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was immediately notified, and the building was swiftly evacuated. The evacuation, which included both the public and staff, was completed in less than five minutes.

The Sheriff’s Department and bomb squad arrived on the scene, conducted a thorough search, and found no explosives.

Sgt. Chris Benson leads the Riverside County Sheriff's Hazardous Device Team. He and eight technicians respond to bomb threats like these.

"You should always be concerned about a bomb threat. I know I would be if somebody called and said, hey, there's a bomb in your shop, I would take that very serious until deemed otherwise, which is what the sheriff's office does," says Sgt. Benson.

Responding to bomb threats requires a coordinated effort from law enforcement. Stay with News Channel Three to hear from the Riverside County Sheriff's Hazardous Device Team on what you should do during an emergency situation.