Video: Local And State Law Officers Take Part In Homeland Security Drill

[syndicaster id=’5939081′]

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Police officers in Northeast Mississippi are spending part of their week, learning how to deal with civil unrest.  As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports,  the Department of Homeland Security is taking law enforcement officers through exercises that will come in handy if protests and demonstrations take a violent turn.

Sergeant Dan Treadaway is part of a formation with one main objective, to keep violent demonstrators from advancing.

The crowd noises are an audio file , and the old runway at the Tupelo Regional Airport is the scene of this training exercise, where officers serve as part of a mobile field force team.

“Well we’ve learned the importance of staying in formation, hopefully this is training that we will never need,” Sgt. Treadaway said.

But the Department of Homeland Security wants police to be ready when protesters go too far. So the Center for Domestic Preparedness, out of Anniston, Alabama, offers a three day course, called “Field Force Operations.”  It combines classroom instruction with practical exercises , where officers can practice mass arrest procedures,  learn about crowd dynamics and mob behavior.

There are ten agencies taking part in this training and officers point out they’re not trying to infringe on anyone’s First Amendment rights, but whenever protests turn violent, it’s vital for police to have a plan of action, to restore law and order.

“Our goal is to leave a situation, if there is a situation, without any injury to any participant or any officer, but at the same time, if there is some disorder, then we are expected to act,” said Maj. Anthony Hill with the Tupelo Police Department.

That may mean containing the protesters, and making sure those committing criminal acts, are dealt with.

Like most of his colleagues,  Columbus Police Officer Robert Eguires has never been through extensive riot control training like this, but he knows no city is immune from mob violence.

“These situations can happen anywhere, as we have seen in Ferguson, Texas and Baltimore, you know, Ferguson is a town of roughly 20 thousand, Columbus has roughly 25 thousand, anything can happen anywhere and it never hurts to be prepared,” Eguires said.

The Field Force Operations Course wraps up Thursday.

This is the first time the specialized training has been offered in Northeast Mississippi.