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In one room was a distraught mother who had barricaded herself and her children and refused to come out. In another, two agitated men were holding a group hostage. And across town there was an active shooter roaming inside a factory.
What could have been a law enforcement nightmare was actually just a series of scenarios used for a multi-agency SWAT and hostage training in Turlock on Saturday.
The Turlock Police Department hosted the annual training event, which uses real-life events to prepare SWAT personnel and hostage response teams. The training took place all day Saturday at Monte Vista Chapel, Foster Farm’s, and the Cilion plant in Keyes.
“This is a great opportunity for everyone to learn from one another, plus as the hosts, Turlock gets the added benefit that if something big were to happen here, we would have multiple agencies familiar with the area,” said Turlock Police Sgt. Victor Barcelos, who is the team leader for Turlock’s SWAT team and helped coordinate the training.
Participating agencies included the Turlock, Ceres, Modesto, Manteca, and Tracy police departments and the Stanislaus and Merced counties sheriff departments.
Ceres Police Lt. Brett Smith said the multi-agency training also helps establish communication chains within the various law enforcement departments, which he said is critical during an emergency situation.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.

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