PORTSMOUTH- Law enforcement Special Response Teams from throughout southeastern Ohio will be involved in a full-scale exercise on the campus of Shawnee State University Thursday and Friday.

Residents should know, however, there is no actual threat. It is a two-day Homeland Security drill.

“A full-scale exercise tests many components of one or more capabilities within emergency response and recovery and is typically used to assess plans and procedures under crisis conditions and assess coordinated response under crisis conditions. Characteristics of an FSE include mobilized units, personnel, and equipment; a stressful, realistic environment; and scripted exercise scenarios,” said Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman.

Thoroughman said the Region 7 Homeland Security Group, which includes the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, the Portsmouth Police Department, and the SSU Department of Public Safety, will be on the SSU campus. It may appear to passersby that there is a major event happening, but it is a training session to test law enforcement’s capabilities should such an event arise.

“The group decided to conduct a full-scale exercise that emphasizes the role of regional law enforcement in response to an active threat incident at a higher education facility,” Thoroughman said.

The Region 7 Homeland Security Group was formed after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

“Region 7 of the Homeland Security Group has a number of law enforcement agencies within it,” Thoroughman said. “The two days will be broken down into separate segments so that we are able to assess the response of multiple agencies on actual deployment of resources in a coordinated response as if a real incident had occurred.”

Local residents may see law enforcement from Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Logan, Perry, and Ross counties, according to information from the Scioto County Commissioners.

Reach Lori McNelly at [email protected] or at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1928. © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved