View From the Midwest

At about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, the Olathe Police Department’s Special Tactical Unit performed a training mission at 1302 Winterbrooke. The home is one of many along the creek the city agreed to purchase as a result of years of flooding and, eventually, the planned re-engineering of the creek to prevent future damage.

There were two staged events, the first being a hostage standoff. A command center was established in the parking lot of College Church of the Nazarene from where officers and armored vehicles were dispatched.

Details of the second staged event were less clear, but it easily could be heard there were intense pleas via bullhorn from an MRAP parked in the yard directed at the suspect in the house asking him to call a phone number and continue talking to authorities. It also involved a robot entering the home through the front door, to remotely determine the situation inside the home.

The event ended up being street side entertainment for neighbors, passers by and one man, a retired Marine, who brought is grandson to see it as an outing.

The exercise was completed around 4 and site clean up began.