News

LAPD Conducts Citywide Terrorism-training Drill

Dakota Smith

12/20/2015

Dec. 19--With Los Angeles residents on edge following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, police conducted a massive drill on Friday, deploying heavily armed officers to malls, theaters and train stations across the city.

The two-hour terrorism training event, which stretched from Westchester to the San Fernando Valley, focused on so-called soft targets, or places that draw large crowds, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Some Twitter users reported seeing police officers conducting drills in downtown Los Angeles.

In blunt language, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck told reporters that while the department hopes an attack "never comes, none of us believe it will never come."

The drill followed the Dec. 2 slaughter of 14 people at a San Bernardino social services center, deemed by officials as the worst terrorist assault in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

On Tuesday, schools across Los Angeles closed following an email threatening violence across campuses. The email was later deemed to be a hoax.

Standing next to a Beck at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city is "preparing for the worst. That's how we ensure public safety."

He also pointed to the city's unity following the violent acts, noting he'd helped lead a prayer service earlier this month that drew leaders of many different faiths.

Friday's drill, the second in recent months, was planned after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, police officials said. About 200 police officers took part in the event, as did personnel from the city's Fire Department, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

LAPD employees will travel to Paris early next year to learn about the city's response to the November rampage, said Deputy Chief Michael Downing. A similar trip was taken by the department after the Jan. 7 massacre in Paris at Charlie Hebdo magazine.

While the terrorist drill may instill more fear in some residents, Downing said the public should feel confident in law enforcement if an attack occurs.

"We're not going to let it last 60 hours, like it did in Mumbai," Downing said, referencing the 2008 terror attacks in India that killed more than 160 people.