Coast Guard Plays War Games with FBI, LAPD, LASD, LAFD, LBPD and LAFD

3/7/17: The Coast Guard, along with members of the FBI, Los Angeles Port Police, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, Long Beach Police Department and Long Beach Fire Department held a full-scale emergency response exercise in the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

The exercise is designed to enhance federal, state and local response coordination if there was a threat to the port. The exercise was held in the vicinity of the Vincent Thomas Bridge and included several assets from multiple response agencies.

The homeland security exercise is based on the Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program. The AMSTEP is focused on building relationships within the federal maritime security domain to write, review and update the area maritime security plan, in addition to supporting other transportation entities that rely upon secure ports. As the federal maritime security coordinator, the Coast Guard has the lead in coordinating such exercises. The primary focus of the exercise is to practice, evaluate, and make recommendations for enhancing response efforts within the port.

This information from a press release courtesy of Petty Officer 1st Class Sondra-Kay Kneen, USCG