Camden Yards is scene of security exercise
If you're in the Camden Yards area this morning, you might notice an unusual amount of police activity. Don't worry. According to the Maryland Transit Administration, it's part of a security exercise. Here's the MTA's news release:
MTA POLICE CONDUCT RAIL SECURITY EXERCISE
Local exercise will target MARC Train stations on the Penn, Camden, and Brunswick Lines.
(BALTIMORE, MD) May 27, 2010 - The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) police will take part in a multi-jurisdictional police exercise to hone coordinated security monitoring skills on Thursday, May 27, 2010 as part of a major effort to enhance rail safety along the East Coast.
The effort dubbed the Multi Agency Rail Security Day (MARS) will include officers from the TAC/VIPR Teams, personnel specially trained to identify suspicious persons and situations. The teams include officers from the MTA Police, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Air Marshalls and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. More than a dozen local law enforcement agencies are also participating as part of a multi-jurisdictional police operation from New England to Virginia.
The MARS exercise will involve detailed security checks, but MTA police do not anticipate any delays in service for MARC Train passengers. The role of the MTA Police is to coordinate regional security activities in Maryland and West Virginia.
“These cooperative operations by law enforcement across all levels reinforce our commitment to rail safety as we rise to the challenges in a post 9/11 world,” said Colonel John Gavrillis, Chief of the MTA Police. “While we work diligently to safeguard our passengers and employees, we also ask customers to be our eyes and ears. If you hear, see or smell something suspicious, call 1-800-492-TIPS (8477).”
The MTA Police Command Center will be based at the MTA’s Camden Yards station.
Categories: City bus service, Light rail, MARC train, MTA bus system
