A day of anti-terrorism training for New York police

Elite members of the New York police force must practice facing all dangerous situations so that they are always ready to react when a terrorist attack breaks out.

Police officer plays assault gunman in training exerciseEmergency Response Command. Photo: NYTimes

In the winding corridors and stuffy rooms of an abandoned factory in Brooklyn, New York, USA, under dim, sometimes flashing lights, an elite police unit still practices diligently every day to prepare for a terrorist attack.

Every day, police officers climbed to the top floor of the factory building, searched for hostages, and escorted them to safety as gunfire rang out around them. But it was all hypothetical. They were participating in an exercise designed to hone their skills in tracking down and killing “armed attackers,” according to the New York Times.

Last year, a special operations force called the Command Response Team (CRM) was created. Its members are stationed in various locations across New York City and are trained to be anywhere in the city within three to five minutes of receiving a call.

This is how New York authorities are dealing with a new threat from attackers who do not take hostages but seek to cause maximum casualties.

On July 28, Police Chief James R. Waters, head of the New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Division, allowed reporters from the NYTimes to observe a day of training for CRM unit officers.

“This is going to be a seven-month process,” said Waters, standing before a team of officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying Colt M4 semi-automatic rifles. “It’s going to be an incredible journey.”

The training took place at a former pharmaceutical plant in Fort Greene. Journalists were allowed to observe the exercises, but they were closely monitored. Filming and photography were prohibited during the exercises. CRM leaders also asked reporters to describe only brief outlines of the tactics they discussed, fearing that terrorists would study their methods to plan attacks.

"The shooters in France showed they were very familiar with how the security services in this country would respond," said Deputy Police Chief Scott Shanley, referring to the attack in Paris last November that killed more than 130 people.

Police officers also played the roles of the shooter and bystanders. They conducted two exercises.

The first exercise began with a message over the system from the dispatcher: "There are gunshots inside the building."

The police officers in the patrol car were the first to respond to the situation. Two officers, carrying pistols, crouched low, cautiously advancing down the hallway. The officer behind him placed a hand on the back of the officer in front.

Suddenly, a man ran toward them, screaming for help. The two officers ordered him to his knees and quickly asked where the attacker was. The man pointed down the hall.

Gunshots rang out. An officer said over the radio, "shots fired." Two men immediately rushed toward the sound.

A masked gunman appeared inside a small room with several electrical cabinets and opened fire. Police returned fire. The attacker was hit and fell to the floor. The training rounds were non-lethal. They contained colored powder to help identify those hit.

The officer in front yelled, "Load! Load! Load!" and immediately removed the magazine from his pistol and loaded a new round. The other officer moved to the gunman's side, feeling for a pulse. The attacker was dead. They called for backup and waited.

Bullets containing colored powder used in training. Photo: NYTimes

Soon, a support team of six officers arrived at the scene. They lined up, one hand on the other’s back. They moved quickly, like a snake, through the hallway, looking for the nearest door.

When they arrived, without hesitation or prior investigation, they rushed straight into the room the door led to. Each went in a different direction. The officers did not speak, they maintained absolute silence throughout the entire journey. They communicated by tapping each other on the shoulder and using sign language.

Typically, when officers surround a room, the first officer to go in is called the “rabbit.” This officer acts as a decoy to attract the shooter’s attention. The second officer takes aim and shoots the target. With this formation and movement, the officers do not assign a “rabbit.” They all rush into the room at the same time.

As the reinforcements joined the first two officers, they heard gunfire again. They quickly regrouped in a line and advanced toward the sound of gunfire. The first officer fired at the gunman. The second officer, right behind him, jumped out of line and repeated the same action. The attacker fell. The exercise was over.

The officers took off their helmets, sweat dripping from their faces after just a few tense minutes. Captain Eugene McCarthy, who had been overseeing the entire operation, stepped forward and made a few quick observations. The officer playing the role of the second shooter praised the team's speed and accuracy.

"I didn't get hit. Good job," said the police officer playing the victim.

The officers then switched roles and continued the training exercise with the content changing but the tactics remaining the same.

“Get close to the shooter,” Mr. Waters said loudly. “You’re going to hear this about 50 times. Get close to the shooter. It has to be ingrained in your mind.” They need to master these skills more than their instincts, Waters emphasized.

According to Waters, training for CRM officers will continue to change and evolve over time, but he declined to disclose how it is structured.

A police officer playing the victim lies in a pool of fake blood. Photo: NYTimes

According to VNE