Posts Tagged ‘Urban Shield’
Alameda County supervisors vote to to scale back, shift focus of Urban Shield
After more than five hours of public comment and heated debate, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to approve nearly all of an ad hoc committee’s recommendations to demilitarize the county’s controversial Urban Shield annual training program. They voted 4-0 to eliminate SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) deployment exercises and the event’s…
Read MoreLatest Urban Shield training covers crisis scenarios, draws more criticism from community activists
Emergency responders say they need to practice real-world scenarios in order to be prepared for whatever comes their way. However, the community is on edge about some of the tactics police use and want the exercises to end.
Read MoreUrban Shield trains first responders, draws fire over weapons show
“Urban Shield is the largest full-scale exercise in the nation,” said Sgt. J.D. Nelson, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) public information officer. The event was created by ACSO seven years ago and has grown each year. This year, Nelson estimates that more than 5,000 people participated from across the state, country and world.
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