Starting Wednesday afternoon, Broward residents can expect to see an overwhelming amount of law enforcement officers throughout Broward County as more than a dozen agencies train for potential large-scale terrorist attacks, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
Hundreds of South Florida officers, deputies, first responders and volunteers participating in BSO’s “Operation Heat Shield V” will simulate their response and communication for complex coordinated terrorist attacks — attacks with a violent assault or multiple violent assaults using one or more kinds of weapons with the intent of creating mass casualties.
The first training scenario will start at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Terminal 19 at Port Everglades. The Sheriff’s Office did not provide specifics about where other trainings will be but said they will be “real-world scenarios” and will require area SWAT teams to respond.
Several local hospitals will be involved in the event, as will police and fire rescue agencies throughout Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, the Sheriff’s Office said. Other participating agencies include the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The training will end at 6 a.m. Thursday.
Originally Published: