The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has already been tested this week, and a Thursday morning exercise continued to keep officers on their toes.
After the Santa Monica Pier was shut down Monday, due to a man claiming to be in possession of a bomb climbing the 130-foot-tall Ferris Wheel, SMPD officers were tested at the same location with an emergency evacuation exercise. Though no one was taken into custody like the Monday scenario, officers still had to think fast, as none of the details about what was to be done during the training were given ahead of time.
The exercise began with a mock "shootout" at the eastern end of the Pier, as officers were on the lookout for three "armed suspects" that were wanted for robbery. After the initial action, officers dealt with an active hostage scenario inside the Playland Arcade, as well as an active shooter at an administration building within Pacific Park.
Planned since May of this year, the training was of extra importance due to the real-life scenario occurring earlier in the week. SMPD Public Information Officer Lt. Erika Aklufi said that scenario training is done on a regular basis, and that the Pier exercise provided an "extra layer of realism."
