LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles Police Department teamed with military special operation forces Wednesday evening to conduct multi-agency tactical exercises in the skies above downtown LA.
Many questioned what was going on Wednesday night as a Black Hawk helicopter and four OH-6 choppers – or “Little Birds” – flew over the city, at one point hovering just above the US Bank building downtown and later flying low over the Staples Center as the Lakers played inside.
Someone could be seen sitting inside an open chopper with his legs hanging off the side.
Sky9 spotted the Black Hawk in the dark, making what appeared to be a drop off at a park before quickly ascending back into the air.
Throughout the exercise, the five rotorcrafts were staged at Dodgers Stadium.
The LAPD said the purpose of the training was in part to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments.
Chief Warrant Officer David Duran was a U.S. Army aviator for 12 years. He now flies Blackhawk helicopters for the National Guard in California. Duran says what KCAL9 saw Wednesday night could be a dry run for a future mission.
“They do a lot of mockup training,” said Duran. “But it’s always best to get the closest terrain layout to what the objective is.”
Duran said the military chooses training environments based on what they might be facing in the near future.
“If it’s a mountainous terrain, they go to the mountains; if it’s a desert terrain, they use the desert; if they’re in a coastal terrain, they use the coast,” said Duran. “If it’s an urban terrain, you know, whatever’s needed.”
In a release Monday, the LAPD said training exercises would take place at various sites around the greater Los Angeles area through Thursday. The exercises were coordinated with local authorities and owners of the training sites, according to the release.
Many wondered Thursday night about the safety of such drastic maneuvers being conducted over an urban area.
The LAPD said safety precautions were taken to prevent risk to the general public, as well as the military personnel involved.
Similar exercises have been seen in Miami and Boston.
The Burning Platform:
Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival shares our sentiment. Something just doesn’t feel right:
Maybe it’s just the prepper in me, but when I heard the U.S. Military will be conducting a massive training exercise in the streets of Los Angeles I must say it made me feel a little uneasy. And how could it not?
With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, which gives the President the power to arrest and detain American Citizens, it makes one wonder why the military is conducting drills in Urban America.
This Thursday the military will be conducting a joint exercise in the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. The joint exercise will have the Los Angeles Police Department providing situational support and will take place at multiple simulated training locations throughout Los Angeles.
We could always chalk this off to standard military training, but we suggest that these soldiers are being trained to deal specifically with scenarios recently outlined by the Pentagon, including civil unrest right here in the good old USA.
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