UCPD to Participate in Urban Shield Exercise

From the City of Union City:

Police Officers of the UCPD SWAT Team will be participating in a full-scale regional preparedness exercise this weekend.  It’s the third year UCPD has engaged in the Urban Shield multi-discipline planning, policies, procedures, organization, equipment training. Urban Shield assesses the overall Bay Area’s response capabilities to test regional systems for prevention, protection, response and recovery in the area’s high threat, high-density urban area.  It also evaluates the region’s existing level of preparedness and capabilities.

Teams from all over the region, and several international teams, compete in training exercises throughout the weekend. During last year’s Urban Shield exercise, the UCPD team competed in a shooting competition. Due to its success in the competition, this team was the first law enforcement agency to receive a new weapon platform, the Colt CM 901, with a value over $5,000. The new weapon will be used for training purposes and is a welcome addition to UCPD’s equipment.

“We are proud to send members of the Union City Police Department’s SWAT team to attend the 2012 Urban Shield. This exercise challenges the skills, knowledge and abilities of all who participate.  But, most importantly, it provides the ongoing training needed for disaster response,” said Larry Cheeves, City Manager.

The overarching goals of Urban Shield include striving for the capability to present a multi-layered training exercise to enhance the skills and abilities of regional first responders, as well as those responsible for coordinating and managing large scale events. Urban Shield is implemented to identify and stretch regional resources to their limits, while expanding regional collaboration and building positive relationships. In addition, this exercise provides increased local business and critical infrastructure collaboration. It not only improves regional disaster response capabilities, but provides a platform for national and international first responders, as well as the private sector, to work efficiently and effectively together when critical incidents occur.

For more information about the Union City Police Department, visit http://www.unioncity.org/police/ucpd.htm

For more information about Urban Shield, visit www.urbanshield.org