Newark SWAT Team Conquers Urban Shield Challenges

NEWARK, CA — You'd never know it by looking at them, but when the photo above was snapped, members of the Newark Police Department's SWAT team had already been up for 33 straight hours completing sometimes grueling tasks. They were taking part in Urban Shield, an exercise designed to prepare emergency agencies to respond to earthquakes, wildfires and other natural disasters, as well as man-made events such as a terror attack. Tuesday is the 17th anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Urban Shield is a comprehensive, full-scale regional preparedness exercise which assesses the response capabilities related to multi-discipline, policies, procedures, organization, equipment and training of the overall Bay Area. Agencies from the local to the federal level participated.

According to a social media post from the police department, "Urban Shield challenges the skills, knowledge and abilities of all who participate. It not only improves regional disaster response capabilities, but provides a platform for national and international first responders."

This is the last year that Alameda County will fund the Urban Shield exercise. It draws protests each year from opponents who call it racist, and a waste of money.

-Image via Newark Police Department

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