Area SWAT Teams Exercise Mock Operation
Plano, Frisco, McKinney Criminal Defense Lawyers in Collin County
Area SWAT teams exercise mock operation.
SWAT teams from across North Texas participated in a mock training exercise Wednesday involving a bank robber and hostages.
The exercise involved real-time tactical supervision, snipers, hostage negotiators and supervisors from multiple jurisdictions in order to practice working under the same system and prepare for an actual crisis situation.
“We set up various personnel to seek out what they need to do during a critical situation,” said Adam Henderson, Frisco police spokesman. “It’s real important we are on the same page when a critical incident occurs. We need to be able to talk and work together in a flip of a switch. We want to be on the same channel and know how we operate so we will operate smoothly.”
Officers teamed up at the Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco Wednesday to participate in the North Region SWAT Exercise sponsored by the North Central Texas Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee. Law enforcement teams from Collin and Denton counties as well as the cities of Allen, Carrollton, Frisco, Lewisville, McKinney and Plano participated in the exercise.
The agencies set up tactical teams inside various command posts and monitored and communicated with SWAT teams performing operations inside the stadium.
“We were really working together like a real situation,” said Nicole Shaw, Allen police spokeswoman. “Success results from the lessons learned from the exercises. It’s not necessarily all about getting the bad guys out or getting the hostages out. We have to be able to work together to make that happen. So far, so good.”
The Department of Homeland Security funded the exercise in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program. The exercise is put on by the North Central Texas Council of Governments with a state Homeland Security grant through the SWAT subcommittee and exercise subcommittee.
“Everyone has their own protocols and the way they do things,” said David Tilley, Plano police spokesman. “FEMA has a certain type of protocol that we can go through that will allow us to be on the same page. When other agencies are working together we can go to this system.”
Tilley said Plano and surrounding agencies use the Incident Command System Training, which also allows everyone to work under the same protocols.
“It allows us to work with other agencies we don’t always work with and train with them,” he said. “It allows us to work out the bugs. When you put a system together it may look great on paper, but until you actually practice the process you would really never know what is going to happen.”
Tilley said it’s important to ensure all agencies’ police radio frequencies are compatible and supervisors are able to work together.
“This is a small scenario, but it will prepare us for a multi-casualty situation or a terrorist attack,” he said. “We had a close call in Dallas with the fake bomb situation. In case we ever have anything like that, we have to make sure we are ready.”
The eight agencies alternated duties, including communicating with SWAT teams from their command posts using thermal imagery to pick up heat sources and cameras to detect the location of the suspect and hostages. They also stationed snipers inside the ballpark and on balconies at a nearby hotel.
In an actual crisis, Henderson said agencies would use the same tactics to relieve police personnel during a situation that could last many hours.
Full Plano Star-Courier Article