NYPD & Feds Conduct Active Shooter Exercise

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New York has not recently suffered a devastating terror attack of the likes that struck London, Madrid, and Paris. An attack on such a high-profile target is increasingly likely, however. To this end, authorities are preparing action plans and conducting training to prevent such attacks, and to respond appropriately in the event one will occur.

In a conclusion of several months of intense coordination efforts between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), and the New York Police Department (NYPD), the latter conducted active shooter response training at the end of November.

The exercise not only assessed the response capabilities of NYPD, but also provided a platform for incorporating commercial technological solutions that could assist in future emergency situations.

The NYPD Counter Terrorism Division worked closely with S&T’s Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) to develop, train, and showcase potential technologies.

The NYPD practiced a scenario that included two active shooters as well as a suicide bomber in a New York subway station. Numerous agencies participated, including DHS, S&T, the US Army’s Armament, Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), NPPD, Secret Service, FEMA, the FBI, and local agencies.

“This an extraordinary event, one that is very important to recognize because exercises and training like this improves coordination between agencies, awareness of training, and further unifies our efforts to secure our nation,” said S&T’s Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Robert Griffin.

The technologies evaluated included a geo-referenced graph for improved situational awareness, indoor shooting detection tools, and an interoperable communications capability currently used by the U.S. Army.

The exercise, the fifth of its kind, was planned for months before the Paris attacks. It could not come at a better time, however, both to increase NYPD’s preparedness in the face of the terror threat, and to reassure the city’s residents of the force’s capabilities.