NOBLESVILLE — Hamilton County public safety agencies wrapped up their largest multi-agency law enforcement training exercise in the county's history this week at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville.
Approximately 400 public safety personnel participated in the four-day training, which involved 12 different scenarios designed to test responses to active shooters, bomb threats, and other large-scale emergencies.
More than 550 volunteers served as crisis actors to make the training as realistic as possible.
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"What we're looking to get and have achieved through this exercise is validating that Hamilton County Public Safety agencies can work together very efficiently and effectively to solve complex, large-scale instances," said Jared Sheets, exercise director for the training.
The exercise took 19 months of planning and involved eight law enforcement agencies, including the Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville, and Westfield police departments, and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Five fire and EMS agencies also participated.
Additional partners included dispatch and 911 communications, Hamilton County Emergency Management and three private partner organizations.
Hamilton County Emergency Operations executive director Chad Knecht, who helped coordinate the training, emphasized the collaborative nature of the exercise.
"We've seen that these complex incidents that occur, they're not just one discipline of public safety, but they require the collaboration and cooperation of all of our public resources, our private resources, as well as all the different entities and specialties within public safety," Knecht said.
The training incorporated advanced tools to enhance realism, including non-lethal training ammunition, gunshot simulators, crowd noise effects and professional moulage for cosmetic injury simulation. Medical equipment was used throughout the scenarios to practice emergency response procedures.
John Lowes, chief deputy with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, said the exercises were designed to strengthen preparedness for serious threats.
"Throughout this week, local area agencies participated in coordinated training exercises that were designed to help strengthen our collective ability to respond to, prevent, and recover from domestic terrorism," Lowes said.
Knecht noted that Hamilton County's commitment to this level of training goes beyond basic requirements.
"Minimum standards is mandatory. Hamilton County is not basic, and they're not a minimum standard," Knecht said. "We excel and we raise the bar and we expect our public safety personnel to perform at a very high level."
The training emphasized the importance of communication and coordination during complex incidents.
"All of the tactical training in the world becomes useless if you're not communicating," Knecht said.
Lowes stressed that the exercises were controlled simulations, not responses to actual threats, and thanked the community for its support.
"These exercises are essential to ensure that our community remains safe, resilient, and ready to respond quickly and effectively should an actual emergency occur," Lowes said.
The FBI does have information on how you should respond to an active shooter situation on its website.
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Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
