Politics & Government

Defense Department's Training Goes Off With a Bang (Update)

More than one bang, to be exact, as Tinley Park's closed mental health center was the site of urban warfare training Tuesday night. The exercises, which included small, controlled explosions, will continue Wednesday night, with possible helicopter

UPDATE (12:58 p.m. Wednesday, April 24): Email message from Pat Carr, director of Tinley Park's Emergency Management Agency.

Police lights flashed and explosions were heard for nearly four hours Tuesday night as the U.S. Department of Defense conducted urban training exercises in a steady rain on the grounds of the now-closed Tinley Park Mental Health Center.

The training, which runs through Wednesday, April 24, is part of a nationwide effort by the Defense Department to conduct drills in a variety of locations.

Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

READ: Defense Dept. to Hold Training Exercises at Closed Mental Health Center

“They're practicing for urban training, on building, on breaching, different things like that,” said Pat Carr, director of Tinley Park's Emergency Management and the liaison between the village and the federal government for these exercises.

Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The training Tuesday night mainly involved door breaching, Carr said. The explosions residents heard were doors being blown off hinges and frames, he added. Although only small explosives were used, some of the flashbangs used in the exercises could be heard blocks away from the training area.

“What they're doing is simulating is breaking down doors, doing room-to-room searches, things like that,” Carr said.

READ: Rain Could Wash Out Tuesday Night's Defense Dept. Training

Helicopter exercises from the village's helipad also were planned for Tuesday's session, but the rain prevented that from happening, according to Carr. Those drills are set for Wednesday night, weather-permitting, he added.

Overall, Carr said the training went well, and that the Tinley Park Police Department only received about 17 emergency calls from residents concerned about the noises. For comparison, the village receives more than 100 calls during the Fourth of July, Carr said.

“Some people are upset, but we did a pretty aggressive campaign to notify residents,” he said. “We've got one more night of it, so hopefully we can get through it.”

In an email sent to Patch on Wednesday, Carr emphasized that these activities are closed to the public and highlighted the village's role in these drills and the reasoning behind some of it:

  1. This is not a Tinley Park exercise. We have taken the initiative to notify our residents in a timely manner of this event. It is a DoD event that was approved by the state. We are providing a support role.
  2. The safety and security of our residents is the Village’s priority and apologize that it kept some people awake. Unfortunately, emergencies or incidents don’t happen at ideal times ,which is why the military and first responders train to respond anyplace or anytime, rain or shine.
  3. As a 23 year military veteran and currently in Public Safety this type of training is a necessity. I am sure that residents who have a son, daughter, brother, husband or know someone in the military or public safety. They would understand that without this type of training it would put their loved ones and the people they are trying to help at risk.
  4. The explosive sequences were loud and would startle people. That is why we went early with our public awareness campaign. They were breaching explosives and were no louder than the loud fireworks we hear on the Fourth of July.
  5. We are happy to receive calls from concerned citizens with any questions from the training events.

YOUR TURN: Do you think the village did a good job spreading the word about these exercises? Did the explosions keep you up or scare you? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

 

Join Patch!

Create a free user account and join the discussion about the future of the area. You'll be subscribed to the free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here